Sunday, April 28, 2013

Viera Wetlands 4/27/13

I made an early morning trip to the Viera Wetlands and adjacent "Click" Ponds this morning. This Loggerhead Shrike was perched on a sign along the narrow road leading into the wetlands. I thought it would take flight as I made my way through the entrance but instead it just glared at me. Maybe it was trying to figure out how to hang me on the fence as it does its other prey.


There are still a handful of active Great Blue Herons at the wetlands. This heron was spending its Saturday morning doing what many of us do, making home repairs. This heron had two young chicks that appeared to be less than 2 weeks old. Mom made multiple trips to some nearby shrubs to gather additional material for the nest.





Across the gravel drive was an active Anhinga nest. This mass of woven sticks was sitting delicately on the side of a palm tree, overhanging the water. The tops of these same palms had earlier in the season been occupied by nesting Great Blues.


I saw four mostly white, fluffy chicks in the nest. Three of them were very active, but I didn't see any movement from the fourth chick. Young Anhinga typically stay in the nest for up to 3 weeks.


In addition to the GBHs and the Anhinga, I also saw a few Green Herons gathering nesting materials. There is also a massive Cattle Egret nesting area at the wetlands. The air space in that area is quite congested with Egrets coming and going as they gather materials. Grackles can also be add to the nesting list. The crows were causing a disruption among the Grackles this morning. I guess I wasn't the only one who wanted eggs for breakfast...


 Black-necked Stilts are still hanging around the ponds and wetlands. I just love to see these long-legged beauties!


Hope you have a great week!

28 comments:

  1. Klasse Bilder von den Graureiher auch die anderen
    Bilder sehr schön.

    Gruß
    Noke

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, my goodness, Tammy, what gorgeous photos!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. O wat laat je hier een hele mooie serie zien dit is genieten.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wonderful shots, Tammy! Looks like a good day.

    ReplyDelete
  5. wow! the crow shot stealing the egg is great! love the anhinga youngsters! i think that's the first time i've seen photos of them. at least the gbh nest is secure on that platform!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow, yeah I agree that the egg shot is awesome!! Adorable bird kids, thanks for sharing those.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow, what a super series Tammy.
    The heron with the boy are very nice.
    Regards, Irma

    ReplyDelete
  8. Como siempre Tammy, un trabajo sobervio. Felicidades. Saludos desde Extremadura

    ReplyDelete
  9. WOW! What a great post again... I don't know where to start! LOL!
    The Shrike watching you and you taking its picture is stunning! That is close!
    What a beauty!
    4 chicks by the Anhingas, well they did a great job!
    As for the Grakle, I guess it can say bye-bye to that egg... What a shot!
    A lovely and lively series Tammy,
    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Beautiful images. The one that turned me on, was the Shrike, it is superb.

    ReplyDelete
  11. They are all precious, you are so fortunate to be there!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hola Tammy unas imagenes de lujo,la del cuervo con el huevo en el pico esta de lujo.Un abrazo

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wow, what fabulous shots! You do such a wonderful job. Super great images!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Impresionante la primera foto del alcaudón. Aunque me repita te diré que haces las mejores fotos de garzas que he visto.
    Saludos!!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Super stuff Tammy, particularly like the top Shrike shot.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Those baby shots of the great blue and anhingas are great. The only place I've seen anhinga babies are across the pond at Gatorland.

    ReplyDelete
  17. The action shots you manage to capture never cease to amaze me.
    Mean old egg steeling Grackle!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Tammy, your nest shots are fantastic. Is that structure (the one the Great Blue Heron is using) built for nesting birds? I always get so anxious watching the babies flap about, looking like they're about to fall out of their nest at any moment.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Tammy, your birds and photos are amazing. I love the heron chicks and the shrike. The Anhingas are cute. That crow is a meanie! Great post, have a happy week!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hi Tammy! .. Each picture has something special .. The shrike is beatiful .. Herons very endearing .. I like them all. Congratulations ..

    ReplyDelete
  21. I especially love your first shot! What a striking bird in that mask! LOL! Cute!
    Wishing you a most wonderful week Tammy!
    xo Catherine

    ReplyDelete
  22. As always great shots , love the crow with an egg in its mouth. And nice shrike.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Gorgeous shots!!! That Grackle shot is amazing. Eggs are good anytime:) I just got a new lens for my camera it takes pictures like these! I'm so excited. On the first day, I took over 1000 shots!! Detail is really important to me and your pictures always capture the finest! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Beautiful photos Tammy. The Shrike is just stunning! Love the Great Blue Heron shots! Your post brings smiles!

    ReplyDelete
  25. These are great Tammy! I really love them all. The one with the "flying egg" is a first for me.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Thank you for a wonderful drive around the ponds! Simply superb photographs!

    ReplyDelete

I greatly appreciate your comments!