I’ve just returned from a five-day trip to visit my brother in Punta Gorda, Florida. As happens when two photographers get together, we took pictures. I’ll be sharing some of the 3400+ images I shot over my next few blogs.
On our first day of shooting, we went to the Venice Area Audubon Rookery. It’s an oasis of natural beauty within nearby urban development. In the middle of the pond stands a rookery island where a variety of birds roost and nest.
I’ve photographed Great Egrets before, but never this close or with their breeding plumage and lime-green lores. The interactions between the seasonal mates were amazing to watch.
The next bird I photographed was the Anhinga, completely new to me and not native to Michigan. Unlike most waterbirds, the Anhinga doesn’t have oil glands to waterproof its feathers. After swimming, it must spread its wings and dry its feathers in the sun.
I see adult Great Blue Herons often during the summer in Michigan, but at this rookery I got to see them with young ones. They’d fledged about a month ago. In the first image, the adult lands on its nest. The next picture shows the juvenile. You can see its crest feathers just beginning to show.
The last picture to share from this first photoshoot was of the Common Gallinule. This chicken-like marsh bird was another new species to me. I like its striking red forehead color. More pictures to come on Thursday.
No comments:
Post a Comment