A nice way to start the day.
Early Great Egret In A Swamp
Tag Archives: wildlife
Plucking Sticks, Egret
Most of the time the big wading birds collect old dead sticks. They wander around on the ground searching for the perfect one.
Once in a while a fresh, soft, stick must be needed. These birds are not master builders so they may not have any particular reason why.
However, when they go for a new stick it’s a really big production.
Even with two hands it’s not easy to break off a stick. One beak twisting and tugging can take forever.
Red-shouldered Hawk
This was the second sighting of the day for this hawk. He was moving along the far edge of this swamp, searching for frogs. It’s a favorite spot and we’ve seen them hunt here often.
He didn’t stay very long.
The small hawks here tend to just fall to the side when taking off. Doesn’t make for great shots but you take what you can.
Looking Pretty, Spoonbill
Sitting on a Palm branch, watching a silly human doing silly human things.
Almost Missed Him, Spoonbill
An instant before disappearing from sight. A single shot, but I thought it was enough.
Juvenile Roseate Spoonbill.
Great Blue Heron Lift Off
A small series here of a Great Blue leaving one of the favorite stick spots, without a treasure.
He didn’t go very far though. The edge of the swamp meets some forest here. There should be a full years worth of dead branches laying around. Each year this is the first place picked clean for nesting materials.
We know they will start collecting here, so we the photographer’s are as predictable as the herons and egrets. This is the first spot we go.
It’s Bath Night, Spoonbill
How do you forget an entire folder of photographs like bathing Roseate Spoonbills 😮.
Female Anhinga
The tropical Anhinga birds are getting into the mix in the rookeries.
While smaller than both the Great Blue and Great Egret these birds are aggressive and only fear the Alligators. They have been called the ‘thugs’ of the swamps here.
