I made another trip to the bird rookery in north Tampa in early May. The royal poinciana tree near the little park area was blooming and the wood storks were hanging out in it while taking a break from feeding the little ones.
A wood stork flew right in front of me and got a drink of water.
The baby great egrets were screaming to be fed.
A young black crowned night heron was also screaming for Mom to feed him.
A young moorhen gets a snack from Mom.
There were a lot of glossy ibis but they stayed in the far back and it’s hard to see their babies until they are flying.
A female anhinga panting in the heat.
I’ve seen tiny alligators in the pond but this was the first big one I’ve seen here. He climbed right up on the bank and plopped down for a while.
He walked around the bank and into the street, then turned around and headed back down in the pond and under the water. I had my 600mm lens with me so these are pretty far away and cropped up.
Your photos are amazing. I love all the birds and I have never seen an alligator actually off the ground and walking. I would be terrified!!
Beautiful pics! Glad you had a long zoom for the alligator. 🙂
Hello, Dina
The tree is beautiful. I love all your Florida birds, Great post on the Wood Storks, the various herons and the cool Anhinga. The gator looks big, I would keep my distance. Your photos are lovely. Thank you for linking up and sharing your critter post. Take care, have a great weekend.
Wow, such crystal clear photos from such a big lens. Such birds that I will not see in the wild here in Tulsa.
I love the gator!!
You took some fantastic photos ! WOW!
Brings me so much joy to see your bird photos regularly.
Worth a Thousand Words