Florida Wildlife with the Sony Z150

[Doug Jensen]

This winter I spent most of February working in central Florida where I was able to take advantage of the nice weather and go out and shoot 4K wildlife stock footage whenever I had some spare time. The smaller size of the Z150 and FSB6 allowed me to hike into some places where I wouldn’t have wanted to go with my bulky F55.

Florida Wildlife 4K Stock Footage shot with the Sony PXW-Z150 on Vimeo

Technical Details:
Camera: PXW-Z150
Codec: XAVC-L 4K UHD @ 30 fps
(all slow-motion is 1080P @ 120 fps up-rezzed to 4K)
Lens: 12x f/4 zoom lens that is built into the camera
Tripod: Sachtler FSB6
Graded in DaVinci Resolve and Edited in Adobe Premiere on my MacBook Pro

[Bob Safay]

Doug, I really enjoy watching your videos. I always end up learning something. Those were some pretty impressive shots from a small camcorder. Maybe someday we will run into each other in Florida. I have very close friends on Merritt island. Take care, Bob

[Doug Jensen]

Thanks, Bob. I should be back down in Florida again next year, so maybe we really will run into each other.

[Bob Safay]

Doug, quick question, I want to do some videoing in the Merritt Island NWR. I have been there a couple of times while visiting friends,with friends, but this time I want to go just to spend time filming. What would you conceder the best time of year to go there. Thank you and take care, Bob Safay

[Steve Siegel]

Bob, I can answer that for you, as I film there a lot. It's winter. Summer is unbearably hot and the bugs can be difficult. Spring and fall are OK, but there is not a good passerine migration. You go to Merritt Island for ducks and waders. Winter features large numbers (thousands on good days) of American Wigeon and Pintail. In January and maybe into February expect Hooded Merganser close-up as well as Avocets. Depending on the tides, Reddish Egrets will give you a good show. At all seasons herons, egrets and spoonbills are present in good numbers, and if you are lucky, you may hit a large mixed flock of all of them. You might want to time your visit to the Space Coast Birding Festival, where you can go on guided trips, pelagics and get a Black Rail pretty reliably (don't expect a decent photo).

While you are there, don't forget to take the road all the way to Playalinda Beach for pelican flight shots, and if the wind is right, gannets close-in. Twenty to thirty miles south, the Viera Wetland offers good opportunities for ducks, harriers, eagles. If you go there, stay for sunset when spectacular things can happen. Sandhill Cranes come in in the sunset if you are in the right spot. Egrets may roost in the same sunset. In February I has a flock of tens of thousands of robins come in at sunset. I filmed for almost an hour and they were still coming when it got dark.

[Bob Safay]

Steve, thank you so much for the information. I was there is August 2016 and thought the insects would drive me nuts. And, I only saw a few birds. I will definitely try to get there late January 2018. I will also take your suggestion and visit Viera Wetlands. Thanks again for the information, it really helps my future planning. Bob

[Doug Jensen]

Hi Bob, sorry it took so long for me to reply. I'm traveling and haven't looked at this thread for a while.

Steve has already given you some solid advice but I would say that I don't think winter around Merritt Island is the best time to find birds. In 2015 and 2016 the best time to find the greatest number and variety of large birds was in late October, November and early December. As the winter progressed, things got drier and drier and there were fewer and fewer birds. By the time the Space Coast Birding Festival happened in January places like Black Point, Peacocks Pocket, Orlando Wetlands, etc. were just a shell of what they were in November. There were a couple of times in January and February when I went out "hunting" and never saw anything worth turning on the camera for.

[Roger Van Duyn]

The rainy season goes through late September - early October around here. And the birds that start flying south about that time start arriving here in Florida then.

We even get a large flock, thirty or so of really big white pelicans that park themselves in the small lake across the street from the local library. They are quite a bit larger than the flock of city owned swans. They flew away sometime in the last month. They follow the same seasonal migration every year.

[Bob Safay]

It looks like I will change my plans and try to go in mid-November.