This scene greeted me when I arrived at Donnelley Wildlife Management Area last week.
It was hard to know where to look first.
The Roseate Spoonbills raising their beaks like this is often a precursor to flight, like a secret signal.
Sure enough, the crowd thinned.
These few stayed a bit longer, performing various stretches then the one on the left gave the signal.
A pair of Black-necked Stilts swooped on by me as I stood on a dike at Orlando Wetlands.
Often described as “stately” due to their color scheme and long legs, they are also elegant flyers.
And fly they did, right on to the other side of this impoundment.
April 10, 2022
Most of the birds we saw on Bulls Island were far off, but there was a lot of variety. This fresh water pond was hosting wading birds, ducks and shore birds.
A path between two ponds had a few spots where you could peak between the underbrush for a better view.
A group of shore birds was making the rounds.
Bulls Island is a 5000 acre barrier island off the coast of South Carolina with multiple ecosystems including maritime forest, fresh and brackish water impoundments and salt marsh.
April 3, 2022
It’s easy to see how this bird got its name. The Black-necked Stilt is a shore bird that has thin and delicate legs, giving the it an awkward looking walk.
This was my first sighting of a Stilt and I was quite impressed with his colors and precise movements.
He went back and forth along the edge of the tidal water, poking and prodding as he went.
Even more striking when flying, I saw several groups of two and three zipping by without getting an in flight shot. This take off shot and shadow will have do for today.
This turned out to be just a short hop to a new lunch spot.
Himantopus mexicanus
