I arrived in Florida a few days ago. I wanted to do some scouting before my workshop start date. Since weather, local conditions and bird numbers are ever changing it is always best to scout some of the shooting areas in Florida beforehand.

My friend and helper Michael Zajac, picked me up at the West Palm Beach airport. He arrived in Florida about a week before me so that he could do some additional scouting. Donna Bourdon will arrive shortly and do even more scouting.

Scouting can be fun because you are on your own and can come and go as you please. Not having a schedule appeals to me. I always enjoy quiet time with my subjects as well as the opportunity to observe their behavior even if I’m not photographing.

Plus, it was nice to be in a warmer climate and enjoy some downtime. I especially like some of the hikes that Michael and I often do. Usually, we go to some “off the beaten path” location filled with miles and miles of endless trails covered in pine needles. We usually mess with our gps and walkie-talkies as we are both gadget geeks.

Even with careful planning and hours upon hours of scouting you just never know what you will get when you go out to photograph birds. Patience and the understanding that you are not photographing paid models always helps.

My gear for my upcoming workshops will be my Sony A1, Sony A9, Sony 200-600mm lens, Sony 70-200mm lens, Sony 24-105mm lens. I do enjoy traveling with my Sony gear, it’s lightweight and more manageable than traveling with my older Canon gear.

So far during this scouting trip, I have been to several locations, some twice! A few of my images from several locations so far.