Eagles are still nesting!

I am very happy to report that my assumption that the eagles had left the nest was incorrect! Even though I look toward the nest several times a day, it just happens that I am apparently looking when they are not visible from my vantage point. I’m probably 800 to 1,000 feet away from the nest and I normally look through my camera lens or binoculars. I had a couple of people tell me that they had seen them in the nest and appeared to be feeding at least one chick. I finally caught a couple of photos today of one eagle in the nest and the other one flying in with more nesting material. And then I took a couple of photos as one flew away from the nest in my direction. Maybe I’ll see an eagle chick looking over the side one day soon!

Wood Stork Repeat!

To have gone so long without getting any closeup photos of a Wood Stork, I’ve had a second chance in as many days to get more pics! This one was sitting in the top of a tree at Ding early this morning.

When you are the top dog . . . uh, top bird.

Hahaha! I laugh at those who stand below me!

Time to go . . . see ya later!

The photo below shows exactly where the Wood Stork gets its name!

Look at the difference in the size of the White Pelicans and the Reddish Egret below. The Reddish Egret almost gets lost! (Bottom left)

This female Anhinga landed right above our heads and then posed.

Unfortunately, this last photo is sad news. It appears that the eagle nest we were watching did not produce a viable egg. There was an eagle constantly nesting through the holidays, but It has been empty for a couple of weeks now. Fingers crossed for next year.

Wood Storks and more!

On our drive through Ding on Saturday, I took some photos of a Great Blue Heron. It was early and a bit chilly. There weren’t many birds around. There were probably more birds after it warmed up later in the morning. The light was great for these pics, though.

We took a bike ride through Pond Apple Trail around mid-day today. The light was very harsh, but I was able to get very close to several Wood Storks. While they aren’t rare birds, it just happens that I have never been able to get close enough to photograph one on the island. They have a face that only a mother could love, don’t they?

The gator was just a few feet behind this wood stork.

I was very excited to see this Black-Crowned Night Heron. It’s another bird that I’ve not been able to get a photo of since we’ve been on the island.

Hundreds of Egrets!

This is a sight we’ve seen at Ding a couple of times. Previously, it was near the end of Wildlife Drive in a small creek, or maybe it is called a bayou? This time, there were literally hundreds of birds in the same type of setting about halfway through the refuge drive. They were all squawking and fluffing their feathers, in what I assume is probably a mating ritual? Almost all of the birds were Great Egrets and Snowy Egrets, but there were a couple of Tri-Colored Herons and some Ibis. I even saw a Roseate Spoonbill hidden back in the trees. But, mainly it was just a sea of white among the trees and water. It is fascinating to watch if you are lucky enough to happen upon them. It wasn’t long before I had over 500 photos. To spare you, I narrowed it down to around 28 photos!

I’ll start out with the one photo I took of a Tri-Colored Heron

It is really fun to see the Snowy Egrets ruffle their feathers!

The below photo is a good comparison of the size between the Great Egret (front left) and the smaller Snowy Egret (right)

Some of the birds would fly to the top of the trees and then back down into the next area of water and trees. I love the white against the gorgeous blue sky. We just walked along watching them and taking photos until I could no longer hold up the camera, and well, because 500 photos . . .

This one was practically on top of my head!

Back home, the Osprey pair are staying very close to the nest in our neighbor’s backyard. We hope to see them nesting on eggs soon!

I came across this big guy in our backyard again.

He decided to run away from me into the shade, but couldn’t resist stopping to give me a look. His coloring looks different in the shade, but it’s the same green iguana.

And last, just a random spider web in the yard.