I spent hours observing these animals' behaviors and learned a lot in the process. I shot whatever I saw, then later used field guides to figure out exactly what the names were of those I didn't know. Conditions were brutal at times, being under a sweltering sun and being inundated and eaten alive (almost!) by flies, but we prevailed. The scenery for most of these shots, as far as the eye could see, was of gorgeous marshlands under a bright blue sky. It created a sense of peace you somehow get from wide open spaces.
White Egrets seemed to be everywhere! These birds are much larger than the Snowy Egret and lacks the yellow feet a Snowy has, not to mention differently-colored bills and eye markings as compared in the following images.
A Great Blue Heron popped up from a bank below me, and after being surprised to see each other, it quickly flew away.
I watched the fishing habits of this Forster's Tern. First, it would aggresively scan the water from just a few feet above it.
Then it would fly up and do it again from a much higher level.
When it found something of interest, it would hover, very much like a hummingbird, for a better look.
Then it would position itself directly above it....
...and dive-bomb with tremendous speed straight down into the water!
...and retrieve what it sought!
A Double-Crested Cormorant swam nearby while the rest of the flock circled over the marsh a few times before settling down into a faraway spot.
Nesting posts were erected in various places around the marshland. Most of these were occupied by Osprey families. If there wasn't already a tree in close proximity to the nest, another post was erected so the other parent (or both) may perch on it to keep watch over the nest.
More shore birds....
A Stilt Sandpiper and, perhaps, Short-Billed Dowitchers
A Semipalmated Plover.
Sanderlings.
A Black Skimmer.
A flock of resting Ruddy Ducks. (for you, B & J, of course!)
A small formation of Glossy Ibises flew overhead to join a hundred others at another spot in the marsh. We caught up to the rest of the flock a few miles away. As the field guide states, "These birds appear to be black when viewed in the distance", however their iridescent, colorful feathers shine under other angles of the sun. I spent a lot of time watching the ibises, seeing and hearing how they socialize amongst the group. I found them visually appealing as they appeared blended in with the verticle reeds--their long, slender legs a perfect natural camouflage--combined with the horizontal ripples (particularly in the last image) all darkened into silhouettes by the blaring midday sun. I kept the exposure 'as is' to contrast with the pinkish sparkles of the water and deep greens of the foliage. Photographing the Glossy Ibises was my own personal highlight!
