Alligators generally appear to be lurking everywhere I see them, it’s just their style. I liked the way the Spanish Moss was hanging down into the pond where this one was doing his thing.
Of course it’s better to see them lurking than not.
Lurking
Tag Archives: Reflection
White Ibis
White Ibis usually travel in groups but this one was by himself searching the edges of a small pond. There is a full tree canopy over the pond so not much direct light gets to the water, and the reflected light appears in lots of colors.
Back and forth he went with an occasional sweep of the water with his beak, hunting for food.
Reflections of some Cyprus Knees and a few dapples of sunlight changed the look of the water as the Ibis moved along.
Little Blue Heron Hunting
A Little Blue Heron waded back and forth in a small, shallow pond, methodically hunting.
Occasionally he stabbed the water, without success as I watched.
Little Blues are all white when they hatch and around a year old start to transition to the full blue of adulthood.
From the other side of the pond I had a back-lit view of the Heron as he continued to hunt.
Toe Dragging Landing
This wasn’t a full flight, just a short hop across shallow water that was draining as the tide went out.
Maybe that’s why this young Great Blue Heron didn’t bother with much lift and then dragged his toes on his landing.
Pond Scenes
The water was still and the air was hot. A few gulls and terns occupied old posts standing in the pond while an Anhinga dried off on a stump.
Even though it was early morning when you expect to see the birds feeding there wasn’t much going on.
Trees and grasses on the other side of the pond made interesting reflections in the water.
Bear Island Wildlife Management Area, SC, 8/12/2019
Tricolored Heron
Here are a few more Tricolored Heron images from last month when I saw so many.
This one wasn’t having much luck with his fishing but made nice water ripples and I liked the intersection of his beak with the reeds.
The patient standing pose is common among the bigger herons and I often see the Great Blue Heron standing out in the open like this. The Tricolored Herons don’t seem to do it as often, tending to stick to the pond edges.
Great Blue Heron
This section of the canal that runs around an old rice field at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens has recently been dredged and widened. Hurricane Matthew in 2016, Storm Irma in 2017, followed by Hurricane Michael in 2018 all pushed mounds of vegetation debris into this corner making it less attractive to the various wading birds that pass through.
The upturned dirt has started to sprout reeds and a few Great Blue Herons have been hanging out on the edge.
From the closest vantage point the background still looks a bit like a moonscape. It will be interesting to watch how the birds’ habits may change now that this water can freely flow.
Tricolored Heron
There were a couple dozen Tricolored Herons dotting the sides of the canal that opened into a small pond. Some of them relocated as I approached.
Patient hunters, the Tricolored Herons will stare at the water a long time. This one had just stabbed the water for a fish creating a ripple.
As I walked further down the dike this one flew right over me, checking me out as he went.
Black Skimmer Threading a Canal
I had seen a Black Skimmer head down this canal and was ready when he made a u-turn and flew back towards me.
Impressive with their flight skills, this one made a sharp turn.
I was standing at a trunk on the canal which obscured my view for a few seconds as he passed by.
I was able to pick him up on the other side.
I’m not sure if they lift up off the water to check their course, but in just two seconds he was back to water level.
He dropped his beak into the water then my sight was obscured by reeds.
Out of a Rut
Ted and I have been visiting the Donnelley Wildlife Management Area regularly for almost three years. Somehow we always take the same few routes. The place is huge, just over 8000 acres, and yesterday we tried a new walking trail which starts in some woods overrun with mosquitoes then opens up to this!
The puffy clouds reflecting in the old rice field ponds were the perfect touch for some landscape photos. Several walkable dikes wind around the ponds and we saw a wide variety of birds, a few Alligators, and two Armadillos. And not another human being.
