Category Archives: Marsh

Wood Stork, Looking To Nest Too

On a Cypress, looking around in a rookery.

Wood Storks prefer an isolated location, with a flock of other Storks to nest.

Wood Stork, Looking To Nest Too
Wood Stork, Looking To Nest Too

Storks will stop where they see other birds building. Check out the neighborhood, and move on. I rarely see them on nests.

Wood Stork, Looking To Nest Too
Wood Stork, Looking To Nest Too

I know of a few Stork rookeries. All are pretty isolated and some protected. That is one of the reason they have made a come back from the brink of extinction.

 

Like A Jet, But Catching Fish, Skimmer

These shots were taken after the Black Skimmers third pass. If you’re lucky a Skimmer will be catching enough fish to create a routine on where they skim the surface.

Like A Jet, But Catching Fish, Skimmer
Like A Jet, But Catching Fish, Skimmer

Watching for a pattern is probably one of the few things that can help get a shot. That pattern, usually twists and turns. In this case he flew along the marsh edge, turned away from us through an opening, and suddenly came right by. Basically left to right, with a twist.

Like A Jet, But Catching Fish, Skimmer
Like A Jet, But Catching Fish, Skimmer
Like A Jet, But Catching Fish, Skimmer
Like A Jet, But Catching Fish, Skimmer

From our point of view it meant catching the bird coming  in from the right at maximum focal length, then as he disappeared pull back to almost the minimum length. The next return path was that close.

The good news was once the Skimmer was past us we had a few minutes before the next try. It was a big marsh he was working. Time to plan, and laugh. Which we did plenty of, well mostly laugh.

Pollen And A Gator

Each spring people everywhere talk about the pollen in the air. Up north we did, down here is different though. We do complain, but we can point at anything outdoors too. It’s covered in green pollen.

Example  below; an alligator sleeping and covered in the pollen that drifted on him.

Now that’s pollen !

Pollen And A Gator
Pollen And A Gator

Storks Night Time Snack, Water Bubbling With Fish

A series taken at sundown when the Wood Storks gave a great show.

Night Time Snack. Water bubbling with fish
Night Time Snack. Water bubbling with fish

The surface of the water here was bubbling with fish. Not small ones either. I’m not sure if they were spawning or chasing small insects.

Night Time Snack. Water bubbling with fish
Night Time Snack. Water bubbling with fish

Several nights we found ourselves inlets with this type of fish activity. Of course it draws out the wading birds.

Night Time Snack. Water bubbling with fish
Night Time Snack. Water bubbling with fish