Two Osprey were flying over the Kiawah River while I was watching the Dolphins on Wednesday.
Osprey are expert hover / divers for fish in the water.
I did not see either of them dive but did enjoy watching the display of their flying skills.
In between stationery hovers they took advantage of the stiff breeze with seemingly effortless swooping.
Hi there!
Black Skimmers are one of my favorite birds to see at the beach. They have a snazzy color combo and a rather goofy looking body.
The protruding lower jaw allows them to scoop fish out of the water in a way that gives them their name.
This group was re-positioning as the incoming tide started covering the sand bar.
I saw this Great Blue Heron fly into the corner of the pond and expected to see him feeding.
But he had other ideas and decided to fly back to his nest after just a minute or so.
He lifted above the wind blown duck weed in no time.
I was in a good spot in between to capture his flight to his nest on an island in the middle of the pond.
A Double-crested Cormorant was standing on a post, flapping his wings, which of course got my attention.
He dropped down as if he was going to spend some time in the water but then went into take off mode.
His splashes reminded me of a skipping stone.
Finally airborne, he disappeared down the canal.
Bear Island Wildlife Management Area
March 9. 2020
Waves of Tundra Swans flew into Mary’s House Pond at Bear Island, where the sky was cloudy to the south.
I heard them but didn’t spot them until they had gone by. They did a small loop closer to me but then banked away.
I caught this group approaching from the north, where the skies had cleared.
This one put his landing gear out long before the actual touch down, which ended up being on the far side of the pond.
Bear Island Wildlife Management Area
February 10, 2020
For such a large bird the American White Pelicans make a delicate landing.
This one was landing on an exposed sand bar in a tidal pond.
He didn’t nail the landing, but his raised wings distracted observers from any mis-steps.
Gotta love those feet!
The sun was up but the light was dim this morning. This American White Pelican made a nice reflection in the pond as he effortlessly took off.
These Pelicans start the lift off without any notice, just lift their wings and go.
One more skip.
I thought he might settle back down the way he was dragging his feet.
Finally, clear of the water. The whole process was just a couple seconds.
Mary’s House Pond, Bear Island Wildlife Management Area, SC.
From this angle you can really see the length of the American White Pelican’s beak.
With a nine foot (almost three meter) wingspan they are quite elegant fliers and this one glided on by me.
Nearly sundown, Ding Darling NWR, Florida
December 29, 2019
This tidal pond was fairly still, with a group of Snowy and Great Egrets having a feeding frenzy in the left corner as the water ebbed.
This pair of Snowy Egrets flew in to see what was happening, creating some interesting reflections. A few ripples in the water made doubles of part of the closer bird in this next image.
In this one I like how the closer bird is connected to the further bird’s reflection.
The ripple had a different effect here, making an S curve out of the closer leg reflection.
As the pair came closer to shore and started their landings some bushes ended by view.
Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Florida
January 1, 2020
I didn’t see the Spoonbill until he was almost on the ground.
Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Florida
January 6, 2020
