I expect to see a Reddish Egret in open water. Spotting a ‘dance’ from a distance helps direct us around the salt marsh.
However, while focusing on a Tricolor this Reddish casually walked by.
These birds are the ultimate dancer in the open water. In the mangroves they look like a big Tricolor from a distance. Now I wonder how many I went right by that morning.
A really nice opportunity. The bird most like a Reddish Egret, Tricolored Heron, together in the mangroves.
It can be easy to confuse the two in poor light. Tall and thin, and a Tricolor can do several of the hunting dance steps of the Reddish.
You can see the size difference here. The Reddish is taller. Getting a shot like this can only happen in a few coastal locations. The Reddish has the smallest habitat range of any wading bird. In contrast, the Tricolored Heron is the most common world wide.
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Florida.
Mom was shy and I was in an awkward spot. I waited best I could but she never raised her head.
I finally took the shot, as a tiny chick raised her head.
A scene best viewed large, no story necessary.
Note; photographed with an OM-1 (1), f4 pro.
After some frustrating misses I finally found the birds usual flight path.
Not a perfect spot, but I was getting close. Like the Great Blues they will have a preferred route. However, they will change it up some LOL.
I was unsure of this Hawk, but Merlin ID’s it as a Red-shouldered Hawk. Must be a juvenile. Also, the coloring in Florida is not as deep as the birds in South Carolina.
We spotted him on this palm while driving along the water of Mosquito Lagoon. The lagoon is the body of water that backs up to the rocket launch pad of the Space Center. The dirt road was opened since the latest launch was cancelled.
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The color theme this week looks to be brown. The cold weather took a big toll on the Mangroves, they were frozen. The water and backgrounds probably will have little color.
Lately most everything published has been around the marshes. This happens every year. Spring/Summer is the swamps, Fall/Winter are the marshes. And since we do live on the coast, shore and ocean is scattered all around.
I felt we needed some ocean photographs and in the ‘to do’ there is always a Pelican or two.
First is a shot taken on the shore of a small barrier island. The big marshes we photograph are not all that far from here. The rivers in the ACE Basin all empty into the Atlantic right near these small islands.
Besides the Brown Pelicans there are two Laughing Gulls. I think they are the most common Gull we have.
Below a single Pelican flying low over the water. The Pelicans take advantage of the thermals over the waters surface and use them to glide for long distances.
