I woke at 5:30 am this morning to drive up to Green Cay Nature Center & Wetlands up in Boynton Beach. It opens at 7 am and I was hoping to be there around sunrise. We are expecting a cold front on Thursday, so I knew it was going to rain then, but I was not expecting rain today! The boardwalk is 1.5 miles in total and is only one direction right now due to Covid. When you get to the visitor center, you go left towards Zone 8. The boardwalk map will show you more about what I am describing, but I did circle the wetlands 3 times in total and because of the rain delays, that took me a little over 3 hours. Currently, they are doing maintenance on Zones 1, 2 & 3 and they were blocked off today. On one downpour, I was near the visitor center when the skies opened up, but on my 2nd time around, I was all the way back in Zone 4 and I got SOAKED! I truly tested the "weatherproofing" of my camera gear today! I wouldn't normally share this picture, but it is kind of hilarious. My family knows how much I dislike getting wet like this, so they were proud of me for staying.
I couldn't be happier with the variety of birds I saw today. As you see, I did bring both camera bodies, so I shot several landscapes too. I even saw a rainbow! Watch for Oliver the Screech Owl who lives inside the visitor center. He was watching me through the window during one of the downpours. Also, I photographed a Common Moorhen feeding her chick and some nests of Anhingas with their chicks. Oddities you will see are the Softshell Turtle and the Pig Frog!
Some of my favorite images from today are below, but I highly encourage you to visit the gallery today. I've labeled every photo and there are 72 photos to see! Despite the rainy weather, I think I captured a lot of colorful images and scenery.
Green Cay Nature Center & Wetlands Gallery
Green Heron
Male Red-Winged Blackbird
Zone 8OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Male Red-Winged Blackbird
Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks in flight
Gator
Mottled Duck
Female Red-Winged Blackbird
Common Moorhen with Chicks
Female Anhinga with Chicks
Glossy Ibis in flight
Little Blue Heron
Immature Little Blue Heron
Glossy Ibis
Zone 9 PickerelweedOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Mottled Duck
Tricolored Heron
Pied-Billed Grebe