Last month I went to Blue Cypress Lake in Indian River County, Florida with my friend Carlos Molina to experience osprey heaven. Several of my fellow nature photographers like Al and Fabiola Forns have been raving about this place and their pictures have been amazing. So I left Hialeah at 3:30 am to drive up to Middleton's Fish Camp just east of the Yehaw Junction exit off the Florida Turnpike. Met up with Carlos and made it to the Camp by 6:50am, which was about 25 minutes before sunrise. We went out on the Pontoon boat driven by Joe and in two hours, I got some of my best osprey photographs ever. So many keepers and from such a great perspective. Being on the pontoon boat and sometimes being at eye level with the osprey really brings you into their world. I had two cameras with me, one with a 400 5.6L and the other with the 500 4.0L. I sometimes had too much lens and think a 100-400 zoom would be best. But let me tell you, the place is beautiful. The cypress trees with Spanish Moss which dot the shoreline are perfect settings for photographing these beautiful birds. Even my friend Carlos, who's a landscape guy by nature, was having a field day there. I've photographed osprey all throughout the State of Florida, and this is by far the most concentrated number of osprey in a pristine environment that I have ever seen. Blue Cypress Lake is old Florida. No development out there. No nothing. It's an oasis from the urban and suburban nightmare that Florida has become.
Since I had so many keepers, I made a 4 minute video slideshow which will hopefully give you a taste of this amazing place.
See you out in the field folks.
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