Our beaches are shut down, our restaurants either deliver to your house or to your car, and public gatherings are cancelled, all while we practice social distancing or self-isolation. One of the few places open on the island is the Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge. We drove through yesterday and grabbed a few photos to share with you. I hope they distract you for a few minutes and maybe give you a smile.

There is a Yellow-Crowned Night Heron nest near Indigo Trail. The two herons were going through their mating ritual. They appeared to be flirting as they built their nest. I took far too many photos of them. The sticks block the birds, but they were still fascinating to watch.

Do you think I’m pretty . . . how about now?

Look, honey, I found the perfect stick!!

I love you . . . I really love you!

How about now? Do you like me now?

When you see your mate about to do battle with another heron.

All is well, the crisis averted.

This pretty male Anhinga posed for me near the Indigo Trail observation deck. The turquoise around the eye is part of the mating plumage.

The Green Heron below was under some limbs, so the dark photo is a bit grainy. They are such pretty birds, though.

On our drive along Wildlife Drive, we saw this Great Blue Heron having breakfast.

Several people were taking photos of this Yellow-Crowned Night Heron soaking up some sun along the drive.

We took a walk on the beach last weekend. Now, it is closed, so enjoy these until we can visit the beaches, again.

Even last weekend, it wasn’t hard to social distance.

I’m not good with identifying the shorebirds, so I won’t even try. This one has a sweet little face, though.

I still find joy in locating very tiny pretty shells. Getting both sides of this one is a plus!

Success!!

A tree full of brown pelicans!

Awww! Look at that face!

Stay safe everyone! Please don’t take chances and follow the guidelines. We’ll get through this.