Every morning we were up early enough to see the sunrise and this morning was no exception. Instead of walking the beach in front of our hotel though, we started the day with the Wildlife Drive at the
J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge. The tide was very low which brought some of the birds fairly close, although the pond by the observation tower was maybe too low as it was essentially empty. The highlight was an experience with Roseate Spoonbills as we sat on a bench along a short boardwalk. At first, they were just pink blobs behind some greenery but then they came out into the open!
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| A Brown Pelican and Double-crested Cormorant as the sun rose) |
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| White Ibis |
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| Snowy Egret |
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| Snowy Egret |
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| The sunlight spotlighting to Roseate Spoonbills in the distance. |
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| Tricolored Herons and a Great Egret |
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| White ibis and Greater Yellowlegs |
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| Tricolored Herons (dark colored birds), two Juvenile Little Blue Herons (white birds in the back), and five White Ibis |
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| White Ibis |
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| Mottled Ducks |
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| Juvenile Little Blue Heron (white bird) and a Tricolored Heron |
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| Tricolored Heron |
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| Female Anhinga |
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| It was a really cold morning! We started the day at 47*F and it didn't really warm up very fast. |
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| Roseate Spoonbills with a Tricolored Heron - This is when they were behind the bush while we sat on a bench on a short boardwalk. In the photos that follow you will see them come out into the open. |
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| Tricolored Heron |
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| Juvenile White Ibis |
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| Tricolored Heron |
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| Roseate Spoonbill with two White Ibis (one with a fish!) |
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| Two Roseate Spoonbills and five White Ibis |
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| A Juvenile White Ibis found some breakfast in this photo of the group of Roseate Spoonbills and White Ibis |
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| Roseate Spoonbills |
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| Fully coming out into the open - Roseate Spoonbills and White Ibis |
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| White Ibis with two Roseate Spoonbills |
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| White Ibis with two Roseate Spoonbills |
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| Juvenile White Ibis with two Roseate Spoonbills |
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| Roseate Spoonbill pruning feathers (White Ibis in the background) |
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| Great Egret |
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| I think he has a feather in his mouth - he had been grooming himself. |
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| Great Egret |
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| Roseate Spoonbill |
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| Willets (smaller brown birds), Little Blue Heron (far left), Snowy Egrets, and a couple White Ibis (pink curved beak) |
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| Snowy Egrets with a couple of Tricolored Herons |
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| Brown Pelican (with Willets in the background) |
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| Brown Pelican (with Willets in the background) |
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| Brown Pelican (with Willets in the background) |
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| Brown Pelicans |
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| Little Blue Heron with Snowy Egrets and Willets |
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| Roseate Spoonbills, Snowy Egrets, and a few White Ibis |
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| Roseate Spoonbill |
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| Roseate Spoonbill |
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| Snowy Egrets |
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| Snowy Egrets |
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| Snowy Egrets |
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| Large flock of Snowy Egrets coming in for a landing |
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| Roseate Spoonbills with a flock of Snowy Egrets and a few Tricolored Heron and White Ibis |
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| Roseate Spoonbills, Snowy Egrets, and Tricolored Heron |
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| Wood Stork |
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| Yellow-crowned Night Heron with Snowy Egrets |
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| Roseate Spoonbill, Two Tricolored Herons, and Six Snowy Egrets |
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| Roseate Spoonbill with Snowy Egrets |
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| Tricolored Heron |
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| Flocks of diverse birds mingled together (Roseate Spoonbill, Tricolored Heron, White Ibis, Snowy Egrets) |
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| Tricolored Heron |
There's a nice Visitor's Center at the NWR with bird displays, knowledgeable staff, a gift shop and restrooms that is worth a stop. One of the staff members shared some photos and gave me some tips on identifying some shore birds I might see on the beach. The staff were also focused on identifying all the terns displayed in their center so it was fun to test my own knowledge of terns and learn about a species I had never seen.
After our drive and visit to the Visitor's Center, we returned to the hotel for lunch and a walk on the beach. There weren't a lot of birds out so I used the opportunity to mostly just enjoy the sounds and sights with my camera tucked away in my camera bag. But towards the end of our walk, I came across some birds resting and had to pull out my camera. Birds seem to always be in motion that it is easy to forget they need time to rest just like us humans do. So I'll include those photos with a reminder to make sure you take time to rest in your busy schedule.
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| Black-bellied Plover (non-breeding plumage) |
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| Sanderling - This guy didn't stop to rest while I was watching but with how fast his feet move, he probably could learn a thing or two from the other two birds I saw resting. |
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| Willet |
We ate dinner at
Tutti Pazzi Italian Kitchen. The Bruschetta wasn't quite what I was expecting but I really enjoyed my pizza. This decorated Pink Flamingo was outside the restaurant.
That evening after sunset, my dad and I went out to try and take a few star photos. The moon was too full and bright and the no-see-ums were biting so we didn't last too long but I did get this interesting photo with a bit of blur in the palm tree from the wind and the slow shutter speed.
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