20 photos of birds captured at the perfect moment

Zoë EttingerMay 22, 2020, 23:03 IST

An egret catching a flounder in Florida.Andrea Pico Estrada Photography

Andrea Pico Estrada is a nature and wildlife photographer living in Palm Harbor, Florida.
She has been photographing birds for the past 11 years, and most of her photos are taken near Palm Harbor.
Estrada manages to capture photos of Florida's plentiful birds at exactly the right moment, making for stunning shots.
She shares her photography on her Instagram account, @andreapicoestrada, which has more than 47,600 followers.

Though she has taken photos of birds around the world, the vast majority of Andrea Pico Estrada's bird photographs were taken close to her home in Palm Harbor, Florida.

For the past 11 years, Estrada has been perfecting her craft, and through extreme patience and her camera's burst photo setting, she has managed to capture wild birds at the perfect moment.

Estrada has many loyal Instagram fans who look forward to her daily bird posts, some of which include her "usual suspects" or the birds that she has known and photographed for years.

Take a look at 20 of her most stunning shots.

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Andrea Pico Estrada has been photographing birds in Florida since she moved there from New York 11 years ago.

An osprey in Florida. Andrea Pico Estrada Photography

The first bird photo she took was in her local park, where another bird photographer gave her a tip on where to find bald eagles.

An owl in Florida. Andrea Pico Estrada Photography

"I drove up the road and spent about two and a half years focusing just on eagles. I was totally fascinated by them," she said.

An eagle in Florida. Andrea Pico Estrada Photography

Estrada then began branching out to photograph other types of birds.

A great blue heron in Florida looks at the camera. Andrea Pico Estrada Photography

Estrada has become friendly with many of her local birds, which she calls her "usual suspects." The spoonbill below is one of them.

A spoonbill in flight. Andrea Pico Estrada Photography

She gets to spend hours photographing her "usual suspects." That's how she captures them at the perfect moment.

An anhinga in Florida. Andrea Pico Estrada Photography

She might sit for "three or four hours" with nothing happening, just waiting to get that perfect shot.

An anhinga catching a fish in Florida. Andrea Webb

"I could go home empty handed one day, or have the most incredible action happen in two minutes out of a whole day. It's a matter of patience," she said.

An anhinga in Florida. Andrea Pico Estrada Photography

"Every bird has a different personality. Spoonbills are some of the most awesome birds out there," she said.

A spoonbill in Florida. Andrea Pico Estrada Photography

She also managed to capture an egret as it snacked on a fish.

An egret in Florida. Andrea Pico Estrada Photography

"Every walk, and anywhere you go, even your own garden, there's birds," Estrada said.

A great white egret with breeding plumage in Florida. Andrea Pico Estrada Photography

Estrada said the key to getting a great shot is knowing the birds and spending time in their habitat.

A snowy egret and an alligator in Florida. Andrea Pico Estrada Photography

"I talk to all the birds that I photograph. I say hi to them," she said.

An egret catching a flounder in Florida. Andrea Pico Estrada Photography

Estrada says it's much harder to capture birds on trips, because you only have a few seconds, and you're not as familiar with their habitat.

A flamingo in Florida. Andrea Pico Estrada Photography

She traveled to Costa Rica to see bird species she can't find at home in Florida, like the macaws pictured below.

Macaws in Costa Rica. Andrea Pico Estrada Photography

Some birds were more difficult to capture than others. "All the hummingbirds are a challenge," she said.

A hummingbird in Brazil. Andrea Pico Estrada Photography

But mostly, Estrada likes posting photos that were taken on the same day, so that anyone coming to Florida can know which birds are there at that moment.

A baby great horned owl in Florida. Andrea Pico Estrada Photography.

Estrada often gets asked what type of camera she uses, but she says the best type of camera is "the one you have in your hand at that moment."

A burrowing owl in Florida. Andrea Pico Estrada Photography.

She uses her camera's burst mode to get those perfectly timed shots.

An anhinga catching a fish in Florida. Andrea Pico Estrada Photography

Estrada has lived in New York and Dallas, but said "the one thing that Florida instills in you is to slow down, and enjoy what's around you."

An anhinga in flight in Florida. Andrea Pico Estrada Photography

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