Dawn's Light

One morning during Christmas week I headed out early hoping to catch some wildlife in the light of dawn. When I arrived at my planned lookout I was surprised to discover I had beat the birds! The only stalwart fisherman was this Yellow-Crowned Night Heron. The good news was that he was magnificent. He looked like he had a spotlight on him in the low early light. And then he found this long legged crab and spent about 15 minutes trying to figure out how to get in. 

After I did my morning walk and came back to the same place there were hundreds of birds fishing where this guy had been earlier.

Wood Storks

One of my favorite large wading birds is the Wood Stork. As the old saying goes - they are just so ugly, they're cute!

In this first photo to the left you can see the distinct difference in bill shape of the stork and the spoonbill. The stork feeds by traveling through the water with his head down, grabbing small crustaceans, frogs, lizards or whatever else he finds.

Spoonbills have a similar diet but they move through the water swinging their heads slowly from side to side, filtering food through their distinct beaks.

 In this second photo, above, you can see that this particular stork was successful in capturing a tiny fish to eat. It looks like an appetizer to me! Contrast that with the size of the fish the blue heron had that I showcased a few days ago.

 Ken calls these guys water vultures and you can see why when you look at a close up of their heads. Like vultures they are basically bald.

Juveniles may have a small tuft of head feathers. Youngsters are most identifiable by their yellow beaks like this young fellow to the right. In another similarity with vultures, storks do not seem to be averse to eating carrion. In this photo the two are sharing parts of a decaying fish they have pulled into pieces.

December Babies

 A few days ago I mentioned I would post a photo of some great blue heron babies. The shots I have are not ideal but it was still amazing to be there this time of year and see the piles of newborn fuzz in the nests, so I wanted to share.

It seemed that most nests in the rookery near Venice Beach had young birds in them but the mothers were guarding them well so getting any photos of the babies was a matter of luck.

In this first shot no little ones are showing but it gives you a sense of just how close together the nests were. These three were lined up as if in a trio of high-rise condos!

 In the second photo you can see a baby to the left of mama. There were actually three young in this nest and they were trying out their new legs by walking around mama's feet. This one has the posture of a little old man!

In this third close-up photo you can see the heads of two youngsters. Like most baby birds, it seems they will need to grow into their beaks!

America's Best Dancer?

 Last year when we visited Florida we had the rare and amazing opportunity to watch a reddish egret performing his "canopy dance" for about a half hour. Oblivious to us he twirled and spun, jumped and dove, never seeming to tire. I have since read that by spreading his wings in such a manner he creates his own shaded area, making it easier for him to see his prey in the waters below.

This year it was the tri-colored heron that performed for us. Apparently his methods are geared toward herding small fish into an area so he has more to choose from.


I have say that I think the best dancer award goes to the reddish egret although the heron is a close second in my rankings!

Seafood!

Happy New Year!

Continuing with another of my favorite photos from the Florida trip...a great blue heron with a giant fish dinner!

I took quite a few shots of this guy, staying far enough away so I didn't stress him. Just as I filled my card, he put his neck back and swallowed this fish whole! I don't even know how it fit down his throat.

In the Pink

I am always excited when I can spot a Roseate Spoonbill and especially thrilled when they show their colors, as this one did.

The morning of the new moon last week brought some of the lowest tides I have ever seen. That provided an amazing opportunity to see a wide array of species of bird life all trying to get their fill of seafood before the tide came in and the waters rose.

PDR

 What is the PDR, you ask? Well, around here this time of year we hear a lot about the PBR - Professional Bull Riding. This Red-Eared Slider turtle in Florida is obviously a member of the Professional Duck Riders!

This is one of my favorite strange shots from last week. These ugly plastic ducks have been placed in some lakes to ward off something-or-other. Over the years they have faded and tilted and basically turned into an eyesore. This turtle decided to make the most of the decoy as a sunny perch. I wish he had been facing the front of the duck instead of its hind quarters but it is still a fun shot!