Photographing Snail Kites

Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis)

March and April are good months to photograph snail kites in Florida.  However, photographers interested in getting images of these federally endangered raptors need to be careful about how they interact with these birds.  In general, nature photographers should always behave ethically in how they ply their trade or hobby by following some basic unwritten rules about the interactions they have with their subjects while in the field.  I won't go into detail about these rules here, but basically summerize by stating that photographers should never harass a subject to get a shot.  Instead, our basic attitude should be our subject's welfare always comes first.  Now, we have all caused an animal to alter its behavior now and again. Heck, just sitting along the bank of a wetland and having a duck swim up on you can startle the bird for a moment. There is not much a person can do about that beyond not being in the field at all.  However, this type of interaction with wildlife is far different than a person repeatedly approaching a subject that results in the subject continually moving away.  This type of tactic is not ethical and does not show nature photographers in a good light.  Moreover, in some cases this can be interpreted as harassment and thus is illegal.  Obeying nature photography etiquette and all written laws governing wildlife is extremely important when working with any subject, but especially so when the animal is federally endanger like the snail kite.  

 Now about photographing these wonderful birds.

I have been photographing snail kites for many years here in Florida.  Of course, there is nothing illegal about photographing these birds.  However, it is unethical and illegal to go about getting images of them if doing so entails getting very close to their nests, or following them as they fly from perch to perch, pushing them off each perch to get flight shots.

The important aspect of photographing snail kites here in Florida that people need to understand is, they do not need to 'pursue' their subject to get great images. Unlike a lot of wildlife, snail kites, by nature, are very accepting of humans being present in their habitats as long as we do not disturb their nests or loafing areas.  If a person wants to get images of snail kites all they need to do is find an area the birds frequent to forage for snails and sit there (a boat is often very helpful). Just sit there and let the birds fly to them.  Yes, it takes effort to find the foraging areas and patience to sit and wait for them to come to you.  But, with due diligence on the photographer's part the birds will come and they will not care you are there.  This tatic is what I call "Wait and See".  Not wait and you might see something, but wait and you will see something.  And usually much closer to you than you ever imagined.

The types of images a photographer can get using this approach are nothing short of spectacular.  Images of kites with snails, lifting snails from the water, just going about their daily business unaffected by the photographer.  The types of images a person can be truly proud of making.  Compare this to the types of images a person generally gets when 'pursuing' a subject. Typically images of the animal's back side as it moves away from the 'intruder.'  Not a very compelling perspective in my opinion.

So, if you are going to go after images of snail kites, be aware of where their nests are and stay away.  It is the law and ignorance of where the nests are is no excuse.  Instead watch for kites flying low over the marsh.  Watch for them flying down to the water and picking up snails.  Set yourself up in such an area and wait.  The birds will come to you.  Often they will fly so close you will not be able to fit them in your camera's viewfinder.

Anyone interested in going out after some great images of these birds can contact me and we can probably work something out.

Thanks for reading!

Sincerely,

Ron B