This dirty looking Ibis is actually a not-quite adult. Juvenile White Ibis are brown and gradually turn white.
This one was foraging along the edge of a pond, sticking to the mostly shaded edge, quickly swallowing any food.
He stepped into the sun for a moment and you can see the mottled brown on his wings.
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.
The sun was rising on a juvenile Glossy Ibis, Wood Stork and Little Blue Heron standing in a shallow pond.
The Ibis got the signal to go!
I love these reflections, especially the upside down Ibis.
Sometimes the action is above you.
I walked under this White Ibis without seeing him. He started to move and that caught my eye.
Three
Two
One
Liftoff!
A White Ibis demonstrating his stretch method.
First, beak to ground level…
Slowly lift a leg…
Throw in a squawk …
Push that leg…
To the full extension, and hold.
Happy New Year!
2018 has been a wonderful year of observing and photographing the wonders of nature, mostly birds in the low country of South Carolina. Thank you for following along. I appreciate all of your comments and observations.
I end the year with a Snowy Egret fishing in a rice field canal, taken on one of the few sunny days we’ve had lately.
A White Ibis dropped in amazing close to the Egret considering all the unoccupied space nearby.
Nonplussed, they both moved on.
Best wishes for a peaceful and healthy 2019!
Click on any photo for larger view.
The White Ibis was wading in the canal just off the dike at the rice field impoundment. I waited patiently for him to get far enough from the bank to get a clear shot.
Then an intruder! Several Ring-billed Gulls were on the opposite bank in the shallow water. I didn’t expect any to be interested in the deeper water, not thinking they would float, not wade.
The Gull continued paddling until he was behind the White Ibis and lifted his head, turning a photobombed shot into a nice bird combo image.
If they follow last year’s pattern this tree will soon be occupied by nesting Great Blue Heron and Great Egret couples. Until then White Ibis have taken over the tree for sunning.
Doing the one-legged doze the Ibis stood right here for a couple of hours at least.
There is not a bit of material left from last year’s nests. Any Great Blues or Great Egrets that stake this out to start a family will be starting nest building from zero.
Taken as fall is coming to an end, 12/18/2018.
These images were taken in a section of the wildlife management area that I don’t visit often. Until recently you had to climb over fallen trees to get there and the dike is lower, which puts the photographer closer to the water which is good and bad.
Getting a lower prospective and Alligator reflection is good. Being closer to unseen Alligators can scare the &#!% out of a photographer if they move!
Being lower also means less breeze, which much of the year means more mosquitoes. Last week was cooler so there wasn’t much insect activity.
This White Ibis was enjoying the sun and along came a Little Blue Heron.
The Little Blue Heron slowly encroached on the Ibis’ space.
I posted some images of this scene a few weeks ago taken at a different angle and cropped in a 1X1 format. I had so many images from that outing I thought I’d try a composition that showed more of that day’s “big” sky.
Bear Island WMA is closed to the general public now until February 9, 2019 so we won’t be back to see if these Wood Storks are still hanging around.
Bear Island Wildlife Management Area, 10/20/2018
