As crowded as the NYC subway platforms I remember so well. Probably smells the same too.
A Crowd, Marsh Birds
Tag Archives: wildlife
South Carolina Marsh Landscape (2)
As far as you can see, marsh lands. It’s hard to describe something this big.
South Carolina Marsh Landscape
This shot had a little bit of everything. Nice light, Egret, reflections, and even Spoonbills and a Stork in the distance.
The little dark ‘bump’ in the water is an Alligator head too.
Catching Some Green, Wood Storks
Besides being able to catch the big bird in a near fly by I caught some ‘elusive’ green color here. The wing feathers of a Wood Stork are black, but not 100%. In the proper light there can be a green tint also. I don’t think it’s caused by reflections since I have seen it on cloudy days also.
That green requires a perfect angle of light. One that almost never happens.
I was able to catch these storks (there are different birds here) by hanging back and waiting on a dike between 2 open marsh fields. One by one a bird would lift and fly over the trail moving to the other side. It took about 1/2 hour but ultimately all the birds came by.
Alligator Portrait
Like them or not, they are impressive animals. This one in particular. A good example of an adult, probably male, Alligator.
Because of his size the body width is more pronounced. Also this one lives in marshes so the green moss and algae are not on his back.
Spoonbill Setting Down
Three photographs of a Roseate Spoonbill concentrating on a landing. Usually we capture images like this as they land in water. These also show just how wide their wingspan is.
Of course it was a pin point landing.
Splash Down, Canada Geese
I could hear them coming, they are not exactly subtle birds. I didn’t know exactly where they would land. Lucky it was right in front of me.
This was taken in Swan Lake park, Sumter South Carolina. The park is home to a large number of Swans (of course). This is a great place to photograph unusual, non native Swans.
Little 566, Wood Stork
Wood Storks are considered a threatened species. This makes little 566 an important baby. Juvenile storks have feathered heads which they will lose at adulthood. The young bird in the middle has a yellow band, # 566.
It’s nice to see these young birds since it means they are breeding here, expanding their range. In both the USA and Brazil they had been considered an endangered species but numbers have come back.
The typical adult is a large bird which stands 83 to 115 cm (33–45 in) tall and spans 140 to 180 cm (55–71 in) across the wings. However there looks to be birds in the flocks larger than others.
This group was fishing along the edge of a large marsh with members flying in and out so I never did get a good count of how many there were.