Blue-Winged Teal
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If there aren’t any/many people at the Marsh Trail observation deck, a few Blue-winged Teal feeding out in the wetlands will work their way closer to the shoreline.
This male did have a lady, but she stayed around the mangrove roots and in the shade.
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Blue-winged Teal (male)
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Not but a minute of rest and the male was on the move again, crossing that lovely, mirrored water to catch up with his lady feeding.
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Blue-winged Teal (male)
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Blue-winged Teal (male)
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Squabbling Wood Storks
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Nicknamed the “old man of the swamp” and the “voiceless bird”, you will generally see the quiet Wood Stork in a calm setting, foraging or resting. They co-habitat nicely with egrets and herons as long as its neighbors play nice.
So I was surprised to see a little aggressive interaction take place between two Wood Storks a couple weeks ago as one came in to land near another.
Here are the highlights!
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Wood Stork squabble begins
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The Wood Stork ‘180’
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Chest to Chest Hissing and Beak Snapping
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‘Hi-YA’ Kung Fu
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New meaning to ‘foot in mouth’
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“Begone, you old fool!”
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“And don’t come back!”
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I guess the one landing wasn’t welcomed!
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Five On The Wing – #4
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Here’s my fourth of my series of sharing five birds in flight in one post.
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Laughing Gull
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Royal Tern
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American Oystercatcher
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Herring Gull
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Caspian Tern
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Oh, to fly like a bird!
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Glossy Ibis and Their Iridescence Feathers
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I felt lucky two mornings ago at the 10,000 Islands NWR’s Marsh Trail, arriving to find three Glossy Ibis, separated and very busy foraging the wetlands.
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Glossy Ibis
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Continually moving and working the waters, it didn’t take very long before one of the Glossy Ibis came in closer for some great photos. Walking up on a tiny ‘island’ to take a break, the Glossy Ibis proceeded to shake off excess water and fluff up for some preening. And the iridescent colors shined!
I narrowed the preening photo shoot to sharing these five photos, and that was hard. 😏
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Are you ready to see my iridescent feathers?
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Glossy Ibis
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Glossy Ibis
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Glossy Ibis
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Glossy Ibis
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More of that morning’s Glossy Ibis to come…. 🙂
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Great Egret Reflections – Swamp Habitat
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Whether it’s birding the wetlands or the swamps, both afford astounding finds. Including reflections!
Here are two photos of a Great Egret reflecting in a swamp in the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park.
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Great Egret in a swamp
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Great Egret in a swamp
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Yellow-crowned Night Heron – Juvenile
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A fun post! Scanning the trees, what do you see?
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A juvenile Yellow-crowned Night Heron hiding amongst the leaves!
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“Peek-A-Boo!”
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Five On The Wire – #1
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As another occasional post, I’m beginning this new five bird species series with the theme of birds perching on those not-so-pretty communication wires.
With 360° views for hunting and resting, we can’t blame the birds for liking them. With a creative composition and catching the light in their eye, birds and wires can prove to be very pretty!
So on with a set of five bird beauties enjoying a swingin’ moment!
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Loggerhead Shrike
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American Kestrel (male)
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Eurasian Collared-Dove
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White Ibis
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Red-shouldered Hawk (juvenile)
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“So many birds sitting around, on a dead wire, a bare branch, a cold ground, a drifting seashore; never realizing the glory in their wings and where it can take them, nor the envy as we look on them.” — Anthony Liccione
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One Little, Two Little, Three Little Warblers
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For you warbler lovers missing your birdies, here are three warbler species from the past several weeks.
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Palm Warbler
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Yellow-rumped Warbler (female)
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Yellow-throated Warbler
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Just to show they are enjoying their winter here in Florida and will soon be coming back home to many of you this Spring!
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Wood Stork Foraging Past A Reddish Egret
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To add to the delightful sighting of my first Reddish Egrets I shared last week, I got the added excitement of watching a Wood Stork foraging towards the egret. Here’s my two favorites from the series of photos I took.
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Wood Stork and Reddish Egret
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Staying perfectly still, the Reddish Egret allowed the Wood Stork to stroll behind him without incident.
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Two Smiles For The Camera!
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The Elusive Green Heron
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The smaller Green Heron is more elusive than its towering cousins. With its dark colors and stocky bodies, the Green Heron blends in to its surroundings very well.
Can you see the Green Heron in my full frame photo below?
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Green Heron in a swamp habitat
Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park
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I’m sure most of you found it with your eagle eye. If you weren’t sure, the Green Heron is dead center. 🙂
Here’s the above photo cropped below, sharing that pretty little heron.
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Green Heron
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Usually you come up on them without knowing, and they flush out in flight. The above and below photos are the only two I could consider to share from the past month, they’ve been that elusive for me.
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Green Heron in a wetlands habitat
Everglades 10,000 Islands NWR
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I think because it is such a challenge to find and photograph this heron is why I love it so much!
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Bay Photos by Donna 