Wildlife photography in Florida comes with its own set of challenges, especially when it comes to dealing with the locals.Orlando Wetlands is a fantastic spot to see some of these “locals” up close… sometimes a little too close. If you’re out exploring the trails, roads, or paths, you need to stay alert.This video is a perfect example.While I was lying in the road filming a pair of adorable Sandhill crane chicks, a rather large alligator decided it wanted to cross right behind me. Which brings u
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Wildlife photography in Florida comes with its own set of challenges, especially when it comes to dealing with the locals.Orlando Wetlands is a fantastic spot to see some of these “locals” up close… sometimes a little too close. If you’re out exploring the trails, roads, or paths, you need to stay alert.This video is a perfect example.While I was lying in the road filming a pair of adorable Sandhill crane chicks, a rather large alligator decided it wanted to cross right behind me. Which brings u
53.1K views10 months ago
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Once it’s locked in on a meal, nothing really seems to deter the bald eagle. With landing gear down and its talons curled into fists, the approach is a carefully balanced act of flight where each and every feather helps steer this magnificent winged beast towards its food source. I have seen these birds do this thousands of times and I can tell you that it never gets old. Every single time I stand in awe and wonder at how this all seems to just work and with each experience I learn a little bit
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Once it’s locked in on a meal, nothing really seems to deter the bald eagle. With landing gear down and its talons curled into fists, the approach is a carefully balanced act of flight where each and every feather helps steer this magnificent winged beast towards its food source. I have seen these birds do this thousands of times and I can tell you that it never gets old. Every single time I stand in awe and wonder at how this all seems to just work and with each experience I learn a little bit
378.9K viewsMar 27, 2025
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Awesome Bird Photography New Gear - Nikon D850 - Sony A9 - Snail Kites - Florida Wildlife
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Awesome Bird Photography New Gear - Nikon D850 - Sony A9 - Snail Kites - Florida Wildlife
63.2K viewsJul 5, 2019
YouTubeMark Smith
From its high perch overlooking a vast meadow filled with amber colored grass, this eagle has focused its piercing glare on a family of foxes. Three kits remain. Two have already fed the other eagles in the area. The stillness that this eagle possesses radiates through the entire area. The crickets have gone quiet and the rabbits have gone underground. The stage is set as they say. What happens next is anyone’s guess. | Mark Smith Photography
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From its high perch overlooking a vast meadow filled with amber colored grass, this eagle has focused its piercing glare on a family of foxes. Three kits remain. Two have already fed the other eagles in the area. The stillness that this eagle possesses radiates through the entire area. The crickets have gone quiet and the rabbits have gone underground. The stage is set as they say. What happens next is anyone’s guess. | Mark Smith Photography
10K viewsFeb 14, 2024
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When it comes to playing with food, there is no bird that does it better than the Anhinga. After they successfully spear a fish underwater, they have to somehow get their catch off their beak and into their belly. Their solution to this problem is a very interesting lesson in physics. | Mark Smith Photography
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When it comes to playing with food, there is no bird that does it better than the Anhinga. After they successfully spear a fish underwater, they have to somehow get their catch off their beak and into their belly. Their solution to this problem is a very interesting lesson in physics. | Mark Smith Photography
2.2M views10 months ago
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It’s a rough life out there. It doesn’t matter if it’s a feral cat chasing a ghost crab down the beach or a ghost crab carrying a young hatchling sea turtle away. The hardest thing about being a wildlife photographer is to not interfere and let whatever battle is playing out before your lens unfold on its own. In this instance, the crab’s hole in the sand was too small for the turtle to fit, and it had to let the turtle go. The crab has just as much right to eat as the turtle does to survive. It
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It’s a rough life out there. It doesn’t matter if it’s a feral cat chasing a ghost crab down the beach or a ghost crab carrying a young hatchling sea turtle away. The hardest thing about being a wildlife photographer is to not interfere and let whatever battle is playing out before your lens unfold on its own. In this instance, the crab’s hole in the sand was too small for the turtle to fit, and it had to let the turtle go. The crab has just as much right to eat as the turtle does to survive. It
1.4M viewsDec 23, 2024
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Waiting, not a typical human virtue. Great blue herons on the other hand. They are masters at sitting motionless, completely contained in their own little slice of the now. True meditative masters. All of the grace and beauty they contain is equally matched by their utmost savagery at capturing and consuming their prey. I thought for a second this fight might be heralded as one of the best in the strange swampy world where feathers and scales collide, and like most savage swamp battles, this one
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Waiting, not a typical human virtue. Great blue herons on the other hand. They are masters at sitting motionless, completely contained in their own little slice of the now. True meditative masters. All of the grace and beauty they contain is equally matched by their utmost savagery at capturing and consuming their prey. I thought for a second this fight might be heralded as one of the best in the strange swampy world where feathers and scales collide, and like most savage swamp battles, this one
383.9K views6 months ago
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Now this is how you make an entrance! Seeing the full wingspan of an eagle never really gets old does it? Slowing things down and filming them in slow motion just makes the entire experience even better. From the graceful midair bank, to the delicate landing on a bed of razor sharp oysters. It’s easy to see why these birds rule the skies. | Mark Smith Photography
1M views6 months ago
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Black skimmers exhibit a trait we could all learn from: persistence. They, like other wildlife never give up and it’s not by choice. They simply can’t. It’s not an option. If they want to survive, they must keep trying over and over again. They are amazing animals full of grace, beauty and perseverance. | Mark Smith Photography
390.7K views6 months ago
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Timing is everything, isn’t it? And sometimes being in the right place at the right time feels well, timely, or even predetermined. With wildlife photography, it’s all about being in the right place at the right time. The more you know about your subject, the better because it increases your chances of being where you need to be when you need to be there. There is also an element of just letting go and taking what is given to you. It’s always best to have no expectations at all when it comes to
651.2K viewsMar 18, 2025
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I never grow tired of watching these birds do what they do best, catch fish. The amount of effort that goes into one single catch is immeasurable. From soaring through the air, to submerging themselves in a foreign underwater world to floating on the surface with an injured fish in its talons. I’ve always wondered: do sharks ever cruise up, see the chaos, and go, “Thanks for the delivery,” before snatching a two-course meal of fish and bird? Luckily for this Osprey, not today. Today, it yanked a
3.6M viewsMay 1, 2025
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Group of anglers huddled on the beach, “Yeah, there aren’t any fish in here this morning.” Dolphin, “Hold my sand dollar.” | Mark Smith Photography
4.7M views7 months ago
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I have spent many hours photographing and videotaping birds, and I’m always amazed at their ability to fly, but this one is mind-blowing. Check out how it uses its tail to make a 180-degree turn. Its entire body shifts, and each feather is being individually controlled by the bird. Who choreographed this dance? 😊 | Mark Smith Photography
1.2M viewsDec 13, 2024
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Dive into 2026 like this Osprey. Don’t think about it. Just jump right in. Hopefully you don’t come out with a catfish unless that’s why you want. | Mark Smith Photography
84.5K views4 months ago
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Every year I put up a little box for a pair of screech owls that come into my yard. This time I didn’t have time to actually remove the box and it was quickly overtaken with a colony of bees. I’ve been watching the colony for a while and I wasn’t too sure what to do about it but then the bees just abruptly left. So I ventured up my ladder and pulled the box down and this is what was inside. | Mark Smith Photography
28.7K views5 months ago
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It’s been a very long time since I photographed waterfalls. I like the slower pace when compared to wildlife. I get sucked in by their beauty and spend a lot of time studying them and sometimes I find a nice composition that tames my want of structure and some sort of symmetry. 😍 | Mark Smith Photography
37.3K viewsMay 30, 2024
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From a distance I watched an eagle frantically attacking a tree branch. What the hell was going on I thought. As we got closer, I peered through my zoom lens and the misty rain. Was the bird stuck?? “Sam! Get closer I yelled.” Sam eased the boat in gear and we crept in. How in the world??? The odds of this bird placing one perfect sized talon in the space between those two branches must have been astronomical but there it was and it was definitely stuck. I looked back at Sam and said, “It’s stuc
396.5K views5 months ago
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Standing on the jetty with camera in hand, I watched the skies for the best angler in the area, while a gaggle of unsuccessful fishermen stared blankly into space, daydreaming of the one that got away. The air was thick with tension. The fish just weren’t biting, at least not for the human fishermen. For the Osprey, things were much different. Spying its target from the sky, it had no problem showing everyone who the real angler was. With a quick dip into the salty Atlantic, the bird emerged wit
425.9K viewsMar 26, 2025
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“The more you practice, the luckier you get.” I’m not sure who said this but it’s definitely true. Most of the time I do feel like it’s all luck but then I remember that I tend to go out every single day and do this. And each day I learn something new about the environment, my gear, myself and my subjects. I spend a lot of time out there and I love it. Which reminds me of something Charles Bukowski once wrote. "Find what you love and let it kill you."Here are some favorites!! Birds are amazing.
1.6M views8 months ago
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 Talons twisting in passion! Mark Smith Photography does it again! Mark's incredible photography captures the daring arial courtship known as cartwheel spiraling!  Great job Mark, what an incredible moment to witness with bald eagles in the great American north! Music: Carlos Estella, Intense Cinematic Intro | Jeff Corwin
177.5K viewsJul 11, 2022
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It’s all in the eye contact and seeing it unfold in slow motion helps create a stronger connection with the eagle. Through every blink and every wing beat. Glad I’m not a fish. | Mark Smith Photography
78.4K viewsJan 15, 2024
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Beautiful Bird in Flight Photography - Roseate Spoonbills, Egrets, Herons and Osprey in Florida
40.1K viewsMar 19, 2020
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The skills these birds have are simply amazing. I’d love to find some young ones who are still trying to figure it all out. I wonder if they constantly miss or if the parents start them off by throwing them food. | Mark Smith Photography
38.9K views3 months ago
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If looks could kill… | Mark Smith Photography
8.5K viewsApr 22, 2023
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Nothing to see here. Just a bird with a fish… | Mark Smith Photography
42.6K viewsJan 24, 2023
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The Osprey is still my favorite bird to photograph and film. Their abilities never stop blowing my mind, and this one? Absolutely incredible.From the high-speed, feather-perfect dive, to the insane precision of snatching a needlefish right off the surface.Even with that slippery, lively cargo, it lifts off like it’s nothing. No one else around. Just me, the bird, and a reminder that nature doesn’t stop performing. Glad I’m not a fish! | Mark Smith Photography
257.6K viewsMay 11, 2025
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People always ask me, “Do the birds ever miss?”All the time.But missing isn’t failure. It’s part of learning! And they always come back! Because failure isn’t an option for these winged beasts.In this case, the eagle wasn’t even sure at first.“Wait… did I get it? Is that the same fish? Eh, let me give it a little taste…”And that taste?Turned into a full-blown, headfirst, high-speed, aerial swallowing challenge. And in true eagle fashion…It nailed it with flying colors. | Mark Smith Photography
372.3K viewsMay 14, 2025
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One of the most common questions I get asked. Why is the Osprey your favorite bird to photograph/video? This video is the perfect example of why. Ospreys never give up. Ever. They, liked many others creatures on this wonderful planet continue their lives no matter how many insurmountable obstacles are thrown in their path. They don’t complain. They shake it off and try again and again and again until they succeed. That’s such a powerful lesson to learn. | Mark Smith Photography
500.5K views6 months ago
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No one guessed the outcome of this fish fueled fight and it’s something I never would have expected either. If you missed the OG a video, a young gannet was robbed by the gull and you can now see how that turned out. Unfortunately the entire fish fight is based off a fisherman’s bait and in a panic, the adult gannet swallowed everything, hook included. If you swipe you’ll see the end result: me standing on the beach holding the gannet by the neck while the fisherman cut the line. There was a mom
70.8K views4 months ago
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What’s the best thing to eat for breakfast in the swamp? Bugs. | Mark Smith Photography
199.9K views8 months ago
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