All of the above are baby anhingas at different ages. Seen from the boardwalk tower, the nests are right over the water at Sawgrass Lake Park. There were many nests along the lake and luckily there a few close to the tower.
One of the Mom’s sitting close to the overcrowded nests.
Not many other birds around during my walk after work in late May. A few green herons were close to the tower.
Other critters at the park. Someone told me that the snake is a copperhead which is a first for me. He’s one of the 6 venomous snakes in Florida. His head shape doesn’t look like a copperhead on line so I’m not sure if it was one. He slid back under the boardwalk quickly so I didn’t get a shot of his body. Any confirmed ID?
i DON’T know anything about snakes but I thoroughly enjoyed your fabulous shots of the baby Ahingas , you don’t see them that often .
Almost certainly not a copperhead. With that big round eye, smooth (not pitted) face, and no black “eye makeup” it’s most likely a kind of non-venomous water snake. I’m sure you know that lots of people think any snake they see is deadly, so beware of advice. 🙂 This is a good resource for snake i.d.: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/index.php/herpetology/fl-snakes/identification/