Amidst the nesting activity at the Cypress Wetlands rookery I spotted two Cattle Egret, including this one that was looking for a quiet spot.
Cypress Wetlands, Port Royal, SC
March 31, 2026
Cattle Egret
Tag Archives: OM 100-400mm
Great Egrets Nesting
The rookery at Cypress Wetlands is bursting with nesting activity. Great Egrets were mostly settled in last week, with many laying on nests and just a few displaying mating behavior.
These were the only eggs I saw, the nest was at the perfect height with the Egret stood to tend the nest.
The vegetation on the center island of the rookery was not fully leafed out, allowing good views of the action.
Cypress Wetlands, Port Royal, SC
March 31, 2026
Black-crowned Night-herons
Black-crowned Night-herons have arrived at Magnolia: I saw at least twenty fly in, some singly and some in groups of three or four, and disperse into the trees. Previous years they have nested here and I’m hoping we’ll see that again.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
March 26, 2026
Pied-billed Grebe, Mating Behavior?
I’ve never seen a Pied-billed Grebe display like this, and have never been aware of any nesting in the bird places we visit.
A nearby potential mate was less than impressed.
Per All About Birds, they make open bowl nests on a platform of floating vegetation and can have from two to ten chicks.
And those chicks will ride on a parent’s back for the first week after hatching. That would be something cool to see!
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
March 26, 2026
Great Egrets Nesting, And an Interloper
A pair of Great Egrets was having an affectionate greeting as one returned to the nest.
Then a third tried to land and was quickly run off.
I’m not sure if he was trying to take over or just landed in the wrong spot. Great Egrets can be very aggressive so either is possible.
With nests all around how do birds manage to fly back to the one that is theirs? A big mystery.
Number three circled around and landed in the same tree in a higher branch out of my view. These two went back to being happy.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
March 26, 2026
Taken with my recently repaired OM 100-400 lens — all seems good.
Immature Wood Stork
An immature Wood Stork still sporting some fuzzy feathers on his head provided me with left and right profile views while a young White Ibis looked on.
Titusville Road, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, FL
February 25, 2026
Black Skimmer, Showing Off
We saw very few Black Skimmers on our recent trip to Florida, and this was the only one I caught in flight.
The Glossy Ibis and Grebes paid him no attention as he performed the classic beak dip as he hunted.
He passed on by and they never even looked up.
Black Point Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island, FL
February 25, 2026
Anhinga Dispute
I passed by one Anhinga perched in a Mangrove as I was looking for ducks.
Then I heard a splash.
I did not see where the second Anhinga came from–he might have been swimming by.
I don’t recall hearing any noises from the birds, but they sure moved a lot of water.
At one point they were both underwater, emerging with their necks entwined.
Their full wing spans, typically 40 inches / 109 cm, were on display.
In less than 30 seconds it was over, at least for a drying off period.
Black Point Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island, FL
February 25, 2026
Wilson’s Snipe Feeding and Camo
A Wilson’s Snipe was feeding in a pool of clear water, showing off his gorgeous feather colors.
He worked the bottom methodically; I never saw any prey but suspect he was getting little squiggly things.
Then he calmly strolled into some stubble, blending right in with mud and dead vegetation. I looked away for a few seconds and lost sight of him.
Black Point Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island, FL
February 25, 2026
Treeful of Ibis
White Ibis were scattered all around Ravenswood Pond, feeding and wandering around in every wet spot. Then as if on a secret signal, they flocked by twos and threes to the tree a Great Blue Heron pair had started a nest.
The GBH lost possession, at least temporarily.
More secret signals…
or a stretch…
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
February 17, 2026