White Ibis have been spending more time than I remember in our local swamp. Small groups look to be spending the winter right in this wetlands.
That said getting a decent shot though is not always easy.
This one perched on a big snag and stayed there as I passed. No great story here but I couldn’t pass it up.
OK, so it wasn’t the most graceful take off. It wasn’t planned though. More like a push off the tree.
The Spoonbill was minding his own business when another did the typical ‘king of the hill’ thing they do. The first bird pretty much just fell into the air.
Like I said, no points here for style.
He did recover nicely and moved off to another spot in the island rookery.
Christmas, Florida.
(BTW, Christmas is a town)
A Great Blue giving me a fly by, and great opportunity.
The first nests this year are a little far on a small island. However the Herons will drop off the trees and head straight towards the trail for sticks and Spanish Moss.
I placed myself in an open spot where I hoped the birds would pass on either side of me. This time it worked.
The Great Blues knew I was there, they flew on my left, and right, into the back swamp collecting materials. Several landed nearby and walked around too. The Herons were comfortable having me to the side and for maybe two hours went about their business.
Charleston, South Carolina.
This is an assumption on my part, however Egrets probably setup house the same as a Great Blue. After all, Egrets are members of the Heron family.
So…
Most likely this is a male working on the initial nest building. Showing off some of his skills.
And of course good looks.
That will only take him so far. After a quick show it’s back to moving sticks around.
No big dance routines yet, but it won’t be long.
Even Roseate Spoonbills have bad days. In this case an adult decided to grab hold of a juvenile by the leg. I’ve seen this before and I guess this is how they ‘argue’.
The older one had a good hold on the young one too.
As expected Jr. wailed a bit, flapped around, and took the hint.
Time to move on.
This is a rookery where the rules are a little different for a few months.
Unfortunately I didn’t understand a thing she said.
Yellow-crowned Night Heron.
I looked at the shot and that’s immediately what came to mind 😂.
