When I arrived early Sunday morning May 1st, the weather was not looking promising for the tour starting that evening. I sat out a torrential downpour in the car at Lake Martin and there were reports of I-49 being closed due to flooding. The forcast was dismal until Wednesday morning, the last day of the tour.
Fortunately things did not work out as forecast and this was one of the best Spring Lousiana Bird Photo Tours I've done to date.
Lake Martin Sunset - Black and White Version
The original plan for the evening was to shoot the sunset at Lake Martin. The forecast was a 100% chance for rain, potentially heavy, so we went to dinner. After dinner, there was no rain and the sky appeared to clearing to the west and so we decided to try for the sunset and we were rewarded with a great one.
Barred Owl - Lake Martin
The forecast for Monday morning was also bad, so we went to Lake Martin again, as we could work from the car. Again luck was with us with only an occasional light rain. We spoted, but were unable to get good shots of a Summer Tanagers and we were able to get nice shots of an owl.
Mississippi Kites Mating - Bois Des Chenes B&B
This pair was nesting at the B&B and we were able to get some good shots from the parking area.
Jefferson Island Rookery - Small Pool
With yet another dismal forcast we photographed at Jefferson Island in the afternoon. It ended up being a great afternoon shoot, with sunshine and very cooperative birds. Species included, Roseate Spoonbills, Cattle Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Little Blue Herons, and Tricolor Herons.
Hyacinth - Atchafalaya Basin
Tuesday morning we photographed in the Henderson area. While we were able to capture some Osprey in flight, overcast skys impacted the results. Best shooting was some macro phographs and landscapes.
Osprey in Flight Atchafalaya Basin
Returning to Henderson in the afternoon, conditions were much improved and we achieved good results with the Osprey and had a very nice sunset.
Millers Lake Sunrise
Wednesday morning came with great weather and an incredible sunrise at Miller's Lake. Conditions at the Rookery were very good with the highlight being a pair of Least Bitterns very close to the boat. This was some of the best photography I've had at Miller's Lake.
