I decided to take advantage of our last cool, non humid day for this week and head back to Wakodahatchee Wetlands. I woke early and left the house at 6:30 am to avoid traffic. I arrived to very gray skies at around 8 am. My lens is long, but it isn't fast. I really struggled to get sharp and non noisy photos for the first hour or so. Eventually the skies opened up bright blue and that helped a lot. So if some of the photos are a little grainy, you will know why. 

If you remember, back in February there was a lot of nest building activity going on. Today there were noisy chicks in many nests crying to be fed! Wood Stork chicks were plentiful and I saw an Anhinga chick perched up looking for mom and dad. I didn't notice any Great Blue Heron chicks though or just didn't see them with my lens. No offense to the Wood Storks, but their chicks are kind of ugly.  I was lucky enough to run into a couple of cool nests today. This first nest is a female Red-Winged Blackbird. She was flying back and forth adding little soft twigs to her beautifully made nest. Below that you will see a Tricolored Heron tending to her nest eggs. 

Below are some of my favorites of a huge variety of birds that I saw on my walk today. You will see a Cattle Egret, White Egret with breeding plumage, a Tricolored Heron, a couple of Green Herons, male and female Anhingas, Great Blue Herons, a Boat-Tailed Grackle, a Black-Bellied Whistling Duck, and a Purple Gallinule! 

Next up are my attempts at birds in flight. I didn't do too bad, but it is so challenging. I deleted dozens of photos of birds half in and half out of the frame, where all you see are feet or butts. 

Off in the distance I saw what looked to be a young Great Blue Heron holding something in its beak that look awfully like a dead bird. A few of us were trying to figure it, but we just never came to a definitive decision. Another Great Blue Heron joined in and they were playing tug-of-war with it. 

Last, but certainly not least, are some photos of an Anhinga and a Cormorant fishing for breakfast. I'm throwing in photos of an alligator and a snake that I think is a water moccasin. I highly recommend visiting the gallery, as there are dozens more photos there. Link is at the bottom of this post. Thanks for looking! 

Wakodahatchee Wetlands Take Two