White-crowned Pigeon
© RGallucci Photography
www.rgallucci.com
When I told friends that one of my target birds in Sanibel was a White-crowned Pigeon, they looked at me with that "we finally need to commit this boy" look. Even Cindy, who knows and trusts me, was dubious of my enthusiasms translation to reality. But they all didn't understand that this was no ordinary pigeon. This was a not only a rarity, but a stunning beauty as well. In the end, even Cindy was impressed with it.

We missed the bird the first two days. His favorite spot was hiding in the thick of the dense foliage and blending so well that it was easy to look right past him as you gave in. On the third day, we heard his unmistakable flutter of wings and knew he was near. Looking up we found him, exposed and posing! How lucky was that?!

One of the absolute highlights of the trip.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III
¹⁄₈₀ sec at f/5.6
Lens: TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A011
ISO: 800