There were a few birds in the air as the sun was coming up Sunday morning, including this Great Blue Heron off in search of breakfast.
The sky displayed glorious colors for about five minutes. Click the image below for a larger view and you’ll see two birds just above and to the right of the sun.
Bear Island Wildlife Management Area, July 15, 2018.
Canon 7D Mark II, Canon 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6L IS
There was a little fog rolling around the edges of the marsh as the sun inched its way up over the tree line.
The thick cloud bank at the horizon muted the colors.
When the sun had cleared the distant tree tops high wispy clouds mixed the blues and oranges in a delicate palette.
Bear Island Wildlife Management Area, July 15, 2018.
Sony Alpha-6500, Sony 20mm F/2.8 Lens
Nothing says summer like puffy white clouds and blue sky reflected in still water. The alligator taking a slow paddle fit right in. The reeds and grasses that line the canal are at their peak, standing tall for another few weeks.
A row of wading birds was lined up along the shore of this shallow pond. Wood Storks, Roseate Spoonbills, Laughing Gulls and a lone Tricolored Heron went about their morning rituals with little fuss.
A female Red-winged Blackbird performing an early morning check.
The hazy sunrise revealed a cloud line drawn across the sky.
Gentle summer rain
Drips from the moss quietly
Short pause, it will pass
This little pond doesn’t get much attention at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, probably because it isn’t lined with flowers like some of the others. I always liked to stop by looking for turtles and wading birds that found it attractive.
Staff cleared years’ worth of fallen trees and limbs from the water and tidied the edges last fall. This made for a great reflection , but I haven’t seen much in the way of wildlife there since.
April 12, 2018.
One bloom stands above the rest in a field of sunny flower faces.
The birds exited. And then came the rain.
We got our gear into the car just as the first rain drops hit.
