Saturday, April 6, 2013

Our Day At Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary!

Roseate Spoonbill/Let Me Get This Out Of Your Way
Little Blue Heron
Roseate Spoonbill/ Little Blue Heron

Roseate Spoonbill/Morning Ritual 

Roseate Spoonbill/Me First 
We dropped Mom off at the airport, then headed south for about thirty minutes to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples, Florida. A local TV station had reported an abundance of birds due to the lack of rain. Birds seeking refuge in any water that remained, had been reported.  
Rain was in the forecast, it was overcast, muggy and a perfect day for photographing! The much needed rains would indeed grace us later that afternoon, accompanied by thunder and lighting. You can read more about Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary here
We entered the 2.25 mile boardwalk at the exit sign, fully knowing that the lake inhabited by the majestic creatures would be a shorter stroll. 
Walking about 3/4 of a mile to our destination and what a sight it was! We encountered seven different species of birds, there may have been more. Roseate Spoonbills, Ibis, Heron, Little Blue Heron, Limpkin, Wood Stork, Egrets, also alligators and turtles, all coexisting in the now shrinking lake. The true birders were all excited about a Night Heron, that they had spotted in a distant tree. 
Amazing what they can identify, as for me, it looked like a blob and my limited camera lens wasn't buying it either! 
It was an exciting and peaceful day and I have many more photos to share.
Mother Nature, and her cast of characters, is quite possibly the best show in town!

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http://www.aruraljournal.com/ 
Wild Bird Wednesday: http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/wild-bird-wednesday-39-stilts.html

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21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Those Spoonbills are gorgeous! What a find!

Kathy said...

Great shots of these beautiful birds!

Barbara said...

Oh my, what a beautiful nature set (great color) I love them all.

Have a wonderful Sunday,
B.

Gail Dixon said...

Oh my! What a treat for you. The spoonbill preening is awesome, as is the little blue and spoonbill together. I love the way the little blue is standing on the log. Look forward to seeing more!

Kathy Reed said...

Colorful and proud birds...in spite of their spoon shaped bills ;)

TexWisGirl said...

just awesome! would love to see a little blue! so gorgeous!

i hope the area gets lots of much-needed rainfall!

hootnonny said...

Oh, oh my! So nice of the Master to put them in your path!

Charlotte Wilson said...

Rosemary,
what a wonderful opportunity to view such interesting creatures! You did a wonderful job of capturing them!

Grandma Barb's This and That said...

Love the spoonbill. I've never seen one. We could use rain here too.

Debbie said...

WoW...amazing images, gorgeous birds!! what a treat!!

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

It's such a treat to observe wildlife intheir natural habitats. It must have been a wonderful time for you. The Roseate Spoonbill and Little Blue Heron are both new to me, very pretty, I would love to stand and watch them preening and feeding..

Anonymous said...

Rosemary, you captured the the true beauty of the southern swamps perfectly.

Nancy said...

Blown away by the spoonbill colors. Amazing captures Rosemary. xo

Snap said...

visiting with mother nature and her cast of characters is wonderful ... so enlightening and sort of puts us in our place! love the roseate spoonbills.

Lisa Gordon said...

Rosemary, this is such a beautiful series. Yu have photographed each one so beautifully. I just love the Spoonbill. Amazing beak!

The Artful Diva said...

You are so lucky. We haven't had the good fortune to see so many birds when we've been to Corkscrew.

Patrice said...

What a feast for the eyes!

Jennifer said...

Birds are so much more boring here. A bluejay or even a cardinal just doesn't quite cut it after you have seen a bird with a weird shaped bill and pink, red and white feathers! Even the black bird is kinda cool.
I have to wonder though: what must the mosquitoes be like?

Carola Bartz said...

I completely agree with your last sentence! This place sounds wonderful, I am pretty sure that I'd enjoy it. Wonderful photos - the Roseate Spoonbill is beautiful! I have never seen this bird.

Carletta said...

How exciting to see so many species in one place!
I can hardly tell my yard birds little alone the big ones.
I'd love to see a spoonbill in person one day.
You got some lovely shots!
Thanks for your visit! :)

Neil said...

The colour on the spoonbill is beautiful.

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