Black-necked Stilt Family at LAWD

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You know it’s summer in Central Florida when you see families of Black-necked Stilts hanging out in the wetlands.  It’s especially nice for photographers when they choose to hang out right up on the roads at the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive.

Black-necked Stilt Family
Black-necked Stilt Family

On this particular morning, I came across a family with two adults and two juveniles.  One adult was busy looking for breakfast in the nearby canal.  The other adult was clearly on baby-sitting duty.  They didn’t seem too worried when I got out of my car and knelt down to photograph them at their level.  Then again, with a 600mm lens and 1.4x teleconverter, I wasn’t close enough to worry them.

I love the red eyes and delicate beaks of these beautiful birds.

Black-necked Stilt
Black-necked Stilt

The juveniles seemed hot and maybe a little bored.  One sat in the grass on the side of the road, unconcerned with passing traffic.  The other juvie decided to cross the road.  Why did the stilt cross the road?  We’ll never know…

Black-necked Stilt
Black-necked Stilt

Halfway across the road, he got sleepy and plopped down in the middle of the sand!

Black-necked Stilt
Black-necked Stilt

It’s a good thing that most drivers on the wildlife drive are very careful not to disturb random birds hanging out in the middle of the road!

Want to learn more about nature photography at Lake Apopka?

Check out my Lake Apopka page with more information about the location, map, website, photography tips, etc. It is archived by date so you can see my images from previous visits. Maybe you'll be inspired for your own trip!

Planning a trip to Florida? Don't miss my Central Florida Bird Photography Locations reference guide!

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