Tranquility of the wetlands

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Fall is one of my favorite times of year in the wetlands. The weather is getting cooler and the humidity is gone.

Everything is still mostly lush and green.

But the Bald Cypress are beginning to look bare as their needle-like leaves turn rust-colored and fall to the ground (read more cool info about Bald Cypress at National Wildlife Federation).

The water level is high, and the birds are coming back in greater numbers.

This group of Glossy Ibis foraging in a shallow pond and preening their iridescent feathers is a common sight.

Although the Great Egrets and the Wood Storks are year-round residents in Florida, we start to see them more often now as we get closer to breeding season.

Known for their slow and deliberate style, Little Blue Herons “usually forage in water 2–6 inches deep, often gravitating toward densely vegetated foraging sites.” (All About Birds)

Such a tranquil place to take a quiet, peaceful walk! 😌

36 thoughts on “Tranquility of the wetlands”

  3. Oh, wetlands muse, where cypress bald 🌳, Shed leaves like needles, rust-ensconced, enthralled 🍂🌾. Thy verdant visage lush and green does stay 🌿🌱, ‘Til autumn whispers: “Turn, thou must, to clay!” 🍁🍂

    The ibis glossy strut in mirrored ponds 🪞🦩, Preening plumes like feathered vagabonds 🪶✨. I ponder, in their iridescent glean 🌈👀, Do they contemplate life’s phosphorescent sheen? 🧐🌟

    Great Egrets grand, the storks of wood so wise 🦩📚, Return like clockwork under Florida skies ☀️🌴. But lo, your blog does wax serene and fair 🌅📜— Do these herons not secretly despair? 😔🦤

    Oh, Little Blue, thy depths of inches six 🌊🔍, Make mockery of man’s existential mix 🤯⚖️. For whilst they forage in their tranquil nook 🍃🌿, We flounder on Yelp for a brunch spot to book 🥞📱.

    And as you tread this Eden’s quiet walk 🏞️👣, Breathing zen vibes with emojis to talk 😌💬, Pray tell, does no mosquito dare invade? 🦟❌ Or are they too entranced by this pastoral parade? 🐦🎶

    Dear Mother Birder, your post sublime ✨💻, Has gifted this bard a jocular rhyme 🎭🖋️. Yet I do jest with fond irreverence true 😂❤️, For wetlands joy seems most profound in you 🥰🌈.

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    • Thank you for this most beautiful tribute to the wetlands and all of its inhabitants, Yishai🩵! As for the [lack of] mosquitoes, we are fortunate that there is abundant pond life here fond of eating mosquito larvae 😌!

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  4. It looks pretty! The Wood Stork and Little Blue Heron were on my top list of 4 birds I really wanted to see while in FL in September. I did see the Little Blue Heron, but not the Wood Stork or a Rosette Spoonbill. I’ll have to go back! 😊

    Your images are just lovely.

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  6. What a beautiful tranquil wetlands BJ, Always lovely to see Glossy Ibis, we do not see much of them here in Australia, occasionally we do. We see plenty Great Egret and Little, and your smaller Blue Heron looks similar to our common White-faced Heron, except without the white face. Looks like a very serene setting my friend, so glad the humidity is gone there, it has come down here in great proportions as we click into Summer and the associated storms.

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    • Yes, you must. If you want to see huge numbers of Woodstorks nesting with their noisy, fast growing chicks come to Wakodahatchee, one of the wetlands in southern Palm Beach county. They’ll be breeding and taking over all the tree islands from the other birds over the next couple of months!

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