As springtime approaches in southern Louisiana, colorful colonial wading birds flock to the rookery at Lake Martin to breed, nest and raise their young.
With thousands of egrets, Roseate Spoonbills and herons of many types being hatched each spring, this area is said to have "one of the most spectacular wading bird rookeries in North America."
That’s the description used by nature photographer and writer Nancy Camel in her new book, The Nature of Things at Lake Martin: Exploring the Wonders of Cypress Island Preserve in Southern Louisiana.
The book is a pictorial and a documentary dealing with Lake Martin and Cypress Island Preserve, of which the lake is a part. Containing some 130 color photographs – most notably of the birds, the mammals and their environment – the book describes the personalities and mating rituals of the birds and tells the history of Cypress Island Preserve. Throughout the year there are more than 200 species of resident, migratory and wintering birds; 1,200 to 1,800 alligators; and wildflowers, butterflies, dragonflies, frogs, snakes, turtles, squirrels, beavers, nutria, otters, foxes, rabbits, deer, raccoons and other furry animals.
The book includes maps of the Lake Martin area and preserve, tips on photographing birds and other animals, and lists of the more than 200 birds identified in the area.
A resident of Baton Rouge, Ms. Camel’s work has appeared in National Wildlife, Outdoor Photographer, Birdscapes and Wetlands International, as well as on Audubon calendars.
With thousands of egrets, Roseate Spoonbills and herons of many types being hatched each spring, this area is said to have "one of the most spectacular wading bird rookeries in North America."
That’s the description used by nature photographer and writer Nancy Camel in her new book, The Nature of Things at Lake Martin: Exploring the Wonders of Cypress Island Preserve in Southern Louisiana.
The book is a pictorial and a documentary dealing with Lake Martin and Cypress Island Preserve, of which the lake is a part. Containing some 130 color photographs – most notably of the birds, the mammals and their environment – the book describes the personalities and mating rituals of the birds and tells the history of Cypress Island Preserve. Throughout the year there are more than 200 species of resident, migratory and wintering birds; 1,200 to 1,800 alligators; and wildflowers, butterflies, dragonflies, frogs, snakes, turtles, squirrels, beavers, nutria, otters, foxes, rabbits, deer, raccoons and other furry animals.
The book includes maps of the Lake Martin area and preserve, tips on photographing birds and other animals, and lists of the more than 200 birds identified in the area.
A resident of Baton Rouge, Ms. Camel’s work has appeared in National Wildlife, Outdoor Photographer, Birdscapes and Wetlands International, as well as on Audubon calendars.
