There were two things here.
First the obvious, all the birds were just standing in line. Peaceful, no bickering, several different species.
Second, we can all learn something from these critters.
Well, maybe not. The Snowy Egret was jumping to the head of the line.
Still, we didn’t need to break up any arguments.
These images include 2 juvenile White Ibis, a Snowy Egret, and finally a very quiet Tricolored Heron.
This guy was watching a female, and he liked her.
He looked down to her, but no answer.
Shook himself, even snapped his beak shut hard… and that’s a big deal in Heron world.
At least he knew when to give up gracefully.
This is a juvenile White Ibis at about the end of the ‘brown’ phase.
The chest feathers are turning white here. Many wading birds have a juvenile coloring for about 18 months.
These shots were taken in a salt marsh at low tide. The bird was interesting so I tried to ignore all that mud.
When we first arrived at Bear Island I saw nothing, not a good omen.
However, after going to the far end and walking a dike this group appeared. White Pelicans were a surprise since breeding time is close.
Actually if you enlarge these images you will see the beginning of the ‘breeding bump’ on a beak.
Always a good day when you get to capture the Herons busy at work.
The male brings in the materials, over and over.
Above the female greeted him with one of those long low mournful mating calls.
And finally the female accepts the sticks.
Of course if the male just stands there for a few minutes she will call or snap her beak sending out for more.
I say thousands, but that is conservative.
Marshes over 10 miles apart had the same numbers.
This was one spot, shot wide, and they were all around, behind, and over us. Tree Swallows.
Best viewed large.
ACE Basin, South Carolina.
A large male Heron climbing around an old Bald Cypress in a rookery.
This was a quick test shot to see how bad the ISO was. But it came out OK, I published because of the intense look to the bird.
Great Blue Heron returning to a rookery… empty handed. No stick, no food.
He should probably just keep going.
