One of the last shots of the day was this Great Egret passing along the side of the marsh grass.
The reeds and grass has that nice fall look now.

Things just happen and at times I can blunder along into them. This was one of those times.
Not waiting for enough light I walked out on a dike path, both sides thick with tall grass and reeds. Taller than me I try not to lean too far into them to view the other side. Might be a nasty surprise, at least in my mind.
I knew there was activity on my left since I could hear splashes, see silhouettes in the dark. I stopped by an opening and waited.
A short time later my ‘stumps’ revealed themselves.
Who knew!
My stumps were actually a large number of Roseate Spoonbill standing, waiting for some light too.
Soon the Spoonbill were highlighted with the rising sun, I had a ‘group photo’ in front of me.
You never know what you are going to find out there.
ACE Basin, South Carolina.
Tricolored Heron at the edge of a large swath of marsh grass.
This makes a nice contrasting shot in the fall. Even better since this is a young Tricolored with some of the rusty brown of a juvenile.
Summer here even the tall birds are invisible in the grass.
I’ve called this Great Blue the Gate Keeper.
He makes his home near two marshes, on a strip of land with pine stands and a trunk that controls water flow along small canals. (click to view)
A few people come back here to fish and catch crabs. I think he has figured out how to ‘borrow’ their bait. He is always around somewhere.