I took a very short walk yesterday morning, but met some lovely bird – and human – friends out there! The White Egret featured at the top of this post was obviously not quite awake yet when I spotted him just after sunrise ;-).
But further along, I noticed that this White Egret, displaying a rather elegant, alert appearance in his breeding colors, seemed clearly ready to start the day.
The largest birds can often be seen sitting pretty at the top of the tallest trees in the morning. This Wood Stork was bathing in the glow of yesterday’s first morning rays of sun against a brilliant blue sky, just after an early fog had dissipated.
In contrast, this poor White Ibis, hiding his face and his long curved beak in his wing, looked dreadfully unkempt, and even had crusty patches near his eyes. I am trying to find out whether he was merely all fluffed up and losing some feathers, or whether there was some unhealthy condition apparent here.
Although they often hide their faces, White Ibis are generally known for their beautiful facial coloring, like this one directly above.
Before I left the preserve, several of us saw this Great Blue Heron wading ever-so-slowly in the shadowy water under the tree branches, in search of a tasty breakfast. The Heron then stood stock still, hyper-alert, for several minutes.
Then suddenly . . . he jabbed his long, spear-like beak into the water and came up with this yummy treat, which he promptly flew off with to the far side of the pond!
Birder's Journey 
Great post! I love the gifts our Lord grants when we walk with Him in His Garden. Love the pics of the herons. I admire their patient statue stance, and have included this character feature of Patience in my new book “What the Birds Teach Us.”, but with our White-faced Heron, which looks similar, except for the white face.
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Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, Aussiebirder. I’ll have to watch your blog for more info about your book.
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Lovely images! So the great egrets are in their breeding colors now? I must get out to see them!
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The Cattle Egrets and Tri-colored Herons are looking very fancy these days , too, in their bright colors!
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Outstanding photos, BJ. That wood stork photo is a grand portrait. Thanks for sharing your beautiful morning walk. 🙂
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Thanks for coming along, Jet 😉
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wowwwww crazy shot!
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Thanks, Yaff!!! Do you mean the Heron with the fish?! 🙂 Have a super day!
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That heron caught a pretty fish. I do love your pictures. You have such variety there – a wood stork I will never see here.
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Thank you, GWGT! A bit too cold up there, eh?!
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Great photos Carol! 🙂
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Much appreciated, HJ. Enjoy your day – greetings to your little friends!
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That ibis certainly doesn’t look well. That’s a lovely selection of taller water birds.
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I think you’re right, Sonja. Thank you for your visit. Wishing you a great week!
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