Tell me a story: April 2014

Tell me a Story is a group of photographers I have joined who blog about a single day in the month. April has been a relatively quiet month for me.  However the last couple of weeks have been an emotional roller coaster - I had a loved one dying, then I picked up a virus, and on top of that my husband had a chest infection which I seem to have now picked up as well.  Our house is not the place to be, and I suddenly discover my blog is due a week earlier than I thought.  Oh boy...here goes.

Fridays are my day off from work.  The nature of my position has become very detail oriented, Fridays has become my creative day.  My day to head out with my camera.  A day to clear the cobwebs and to just walk and enjoy whatever is ahead of me.  Whatever offerings life has to give me.

So join me on my rather early morning walk around the wetlands.  It was early morning (first bad for me) and it was overcast and miserable (second bad for me). So much for catching the sunrise.  

Spring is most definitely here in South Florida.  The anhinga chicks have hatched, as have the Great Blue Heron.  The Wood Stork Chicks are brand new, and it is now time for the Glossy Ibis to lay her eggs and nest. 

What you do not see in the nest of the Great Blue Heron is her chicks.  They are in there just hiding down.  Mom protects them with fervor, while her mate re-arranges the sticks in the nest.

In another part of the trees a juvenile Great Blue Heron sits with it's mother.  This chick was born probably late February or early March.  I have been watching them grow for a few weeks. When you look at the Great Blue Heron chicks you have to laugh, they typically look like they have had a bad hair day.  

On the pathway in front of me is a Boat Tailed Gackle.  I don't generally love them. They tend to be a bit of a menace and when I put bird seed out at home, they are the scavengers that eat it all.  However, when the sun catches these birds the colors that shine from their feathers is just stunning.  

Moving further along the boardwalk, I spy this Cormorant.  Clearly it is used to people getting up close to it and it does not move away from the action.  Instead it sits there preening itself, turning one way and then another.  I thoroughly enjoyed getting up close to it.  

I always enjoy looking at the different grasses in the wetlands.  I especially enjoy finding the spider webs when I am editing.  Every so often I might catch a bug or two.  Today was not my lucky day for bugs.

This particular grass is beautiful when it flowers.  However, taking photo's of it on a windy day tends to leave you feeling a little sea sick as it sways to and fro in the wind.

The Red-winged Blackbird is gorgeous, especially when it fans its wings out.  

Reflections are always another favorite of mine, and on a good sunny day you can find some amazing reflections in the water.  This was probably my favorite of the day. 

As I continue to walk along the boardwalk I arrive at the first colony of Wood Storks.  This one had been disturbed by a bird flying in, and it took off, but quickly turned around and headed back to it's nest.

Why?  Because sitting in the nest are two baby chicks.  You can barely see them but if you look closely at the feet of the left hand bird you will see two tiny faces peering out at you with big yellow beaks.  Wood Storks are not the most attractive looking birds but I always find them very interesting.  And when they spread out their wings the entire edge is tipped with black feathers.  

I slowly make my way around to the far side of the wetlands where there is a mix of Wood Stork, Snowy Egret, Anhinga and Cormorant.  To my delight the Snowy Egret is showing a spectacular display of her mating feathers.  

On a branch higher up a Wood Stork flies into land.  It is not a graceful sight as this big bird tries to land on a twig high in a tree. 

Once balanced it appears to decide to hang out. 

I am ready to head home, and grab a cup of coffee, but I have one last stop.  A Tricolored Heron is nest just at the edge of the boardwalk.  Underneath her she has 3 tiny blue eggs.  I will tell you that since I took this photo at least one if not more eggs have hatched.  Since I have been sick I have not had a chance to go and look at the tiny chicks but the photo's that have been floating around facebook have been stunning.  If I thought the Great Blue Heron and the Snowy Egrets had bad hair days, I had yet to see the Tricolored Heron chicks.  They are adorable.

“If you seek creative ideas go walking.Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk.”  ~ Raymond I Meyers

I hope that you enjoyed your walk through the wetlands with me.  Nature is one of my favorite places to be in.  Don't forget to follow the circle link and see what Renee, Everyday Beautiful Photography has for you this month.  

If you are interested in seeing more of my photography take a look at my facebook page or my Flickr Page