Just standing around, not bothered by the wind or moving surf a Snowy Egret ruffled himself up.
This beach is covered with little shells, and those didn’t interest him either.
Ah, the surf lapping at his legs.
Taken on Sanibel Island, FL, January 2020 which seems like forever ago.
The two Black-crowned Night-heron nests I spotted at the beginning of May apparently failed as they disappeared shortly thereafter. There must have been at least one other nest in that little island as I almost literally bumped into this juvenile on Thursday standing on the nearby boardwalk.
He practiced rousing…
… and showed me his beautiful wings.
A little unsure of himself, he hopped along before taking off back to the island.
Further down the path I had a view of him perched on a dead branch hanging over the water.
Roseate Spoonbill doing the strut.
Then the shake!
Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Florida
January 6, 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!
Four American White Pelicans decided to take a stroll along this sand bar. Actually it was more like one had decided and the others wanted to see where he was going and they fell in line.
The wading birds take to the trees when the tide is high.
Occasionally they pick dead trees with no cover, nice for the photographer.
Sometimes their perch choices look uncomfortable.
Setting sun, palm trees, not much more you can say. Well, a bird would have been a nice addition.
Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge
December 29, 2019
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
A few Ibis were heading to a roosting spot past a swirly cloud sky.
Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge
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
