Coming in over a small group of Snowy Egrets a White Ibis is cleared to land.
He flexes his wings to slow down.
Feet out for a perfect two point landing.
One foot up for style. The egrets do not care.
White Ibis Landing
Category Archives: Wading Birds
Follow The Leader
The sun was going down behind me as I looped back by the pond where I had photographed the Mottled Duck pair and Tricolored Heron.
I took some landscape images and then realized the ducks and heron were still there, in the tall grass.
The Tricolored Heron started working his way back out into the open.
And the ducks followed him.
The heron continued to wade and the ducks swam behind, all in a row.
Tricolored Heron in Pond
Just a few feet away from the Mottled Ducks of my last post a Tricolored Heron was standing around.
He poked the water a few times and made some ripples but he didn’t seem to be actively fishing.
He settled in and I moved on.
A wider view of the pond and the wildlife:
Baily Tract, Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Florida
January 6, 2020
Reddish Egret Fishing Moves
Like most wading birds the Reddish Egret can spend a lot of time standing around. But when they are ready to hunt, look out!
They use their whole body: running, raising their wings, jumping in the air, and bam!
He got a little fish for dinner.
Then it starts again.
Hopefully some of his catch will be bigger, otherwise he would never be able to eat enough to support all this exercise.
Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge
December 31, 2019
Black-crowned Night Heron, Posing
He looked left, he looked right, and that was about it.
He did give me a nice look at that gorgeous red eye.
Great Egret, Mangrove Top
A Great Egret having a look around, planning his next move.
White Ibis In Flight
I’ve just come back from almost three weeks on the west coast of Florida with most of my wildlife time at Ding Darling NWR on Sanibel Island. The first two days were pouring rain but then the sun and the birds came out.
Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge
December 24, 2019
Great Egret Flying By
The water was sparkley but a tree branch lends a bit of contrast to this Great Egret zooming to the other end of the pond.
Blending In
Great Blue Heron, through the grass.
Great Egret, Poser
This Great Egret clearly had hung out on this boardwalk before. He landed just beyond me then I and several other folks walked right by him and just watched.
Shem Creek Boardwalk, Mount Pleasant, SC
December 10, 2019
