I have many great memories from my trip to Florida earlier this year – most of them involve my favorite birds – waders. One that really stands out is a “honey hole” that we ran into on Blackpoint Wildlife Drive in Merritt Island. It was a small pond that must have gotten fairly deep surrounded by White Ibis, Snowy Egrets and one of each of a Tri-colored and Little Blue Heron.
Snowy Egrets, White Ibis and Little Blue Heron
When we drove up, a car was already parked at it, so we went in behind and waited our turn for the “best seat.” We were still able to pick up on the action from the distance. The Ibis were foraging at the edge of the pond while the Egrets and Herons wandered around. Eventually, the other car moved on and we had front row seats.
Juvenile White Ibis
Little Blue Heron coming in while we waited
Little Blue Heron pretending to be a Snowy Egret
The little pond was so full of birds that they Snowy Egrets were showing a little attitude towards the others when they got close.
Roused Snowy Egret
The most interesting part, however, was how the Egrets and Herons would go after fish. We watched as they would skim the water with the tip of their toes and reach down to grab a fish.
Tri-colored Heron crossing the pond
Tri-colored Heron going all in
Snowy Egret reaches in
Snowy Egret grabs a fish
They would, for the most part, come up with a fish.
Tri-colored Heron skips across the pond with a fish
Snowy Egret crossing the pond with a fish
At times, the birds would go at the same time.
Two Snowy Egrets with fish
Two Snowy Egrets take on the pond simultaneously
Which led to a few mid-air collisions…
Snowy Egrets collide
Snowy Egret and Tri-colored Heron skimming at the same time
And then they collide
But do not miss a beat in air
I did capture a video of the action with my phone.
Eventually, a bird that we were waiting to photograph flew in – a Roseate Spoonbill!
Roseate Spoonbill Joins the flock
This was the first time we were able to photograph an adult up close. It stayed at the edge with the Ibises.
The Spoonbill stayed at the edge
Foraging Spoonbill
Roseate Spoonbill
It stayed for a little while before flying off – I was very happy with this photo session! We photographed at this little spot for over an hour even though the sun was high. What a great spot!
I have been chasing Green Herons since before I was a birder. I could never get good photos of them because they would fly off before I even saw them. The Herons from New Jersey were just too shy!
The only halfway decent photo I had of a Green Heron from 2009
During my trip to Florida earlier this year, I ended up having a few different photo ops with this species in a couple of locations.
Getting closer to the perfect Green Heron photo
I finally got the photos I’ve been wanting! Here are some of the better ones:
In the past, I had far-away looks at the Tricolored Heron during birding trips to the New Jersey Coast. I really wanted to photograph this bird and only really ever had doc shots. I knew that going to Florida could change this. I am happy to share some of these photos with you so you can see this beautiful bird up close like I finally did.
We saw a Tricolored Heron on our first day at Brinson Park. The angle for photo0taking was bad since we were up higher than the bird, but it was much better than any run-in I’ve had with this bird in the past.
Tricolored Heron at Brison Park
We did not get any more good looks of this bird until we went to Orlando Wetlands where a young bird perched behind a Night-Heron that we were enjoying.
Tricolored Heron perched
We also ran into two others who were foraging for some fish.
Tricolored Heron searching for fish
Tricolored Heron almost in breeding plumage
We encountered our first Tricolored Heron in full breeding plumage at Viera Wetlands. This bird was gorgeous! I think it is the prettiest heron species we have in North America.
Tricolored Heron in breeding plumage
Tricolored Heron behind the grass
The next beautiful adult we photographed was at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.
Tricolored Heron off of Blackpoint Wildlife Drive
Tricolored Heron in calm water
The absolute best photo opportunity came the next morning at Merritt Island in the same location that we previously photographed a dancing Reddish Egret at sunrise. This Heron also had a very animated “dance” that it performed to catch its fish. I made the mistake of underexposing most of my photos, but I was able to salvage them enough to share!
That same day, we found another bird who was hanging out in a small pond with Snowy Egrets. It would skim its feet across the water and grab fish without stopping. It was quite the sight!
Tricolored Heron skimming across a pool
the very last bird that we photographed was a Tricolored Heron before we left Merritt Island. This beautiful adult ended our trip nicely with a private show.
One of the birds that I really wanted to see in Florida was the Reddish Egret. I was hoping to get at least a glimpse of its very animated fishing tactics. They will run, jump, spin and pluck a fish out of the shallow water. I did get to see this bird multiple times, with a couple of really awesome photo ops. The bird was a bit difficult to photograph since it was constantly in motion, but I was able to get many satisfying photos! I will warn you that this post is going to be photo-heavy. I took so many photos of this bird and I cannot narrow down which ones I want to share.
The first Reddish Egret we saw was at Merritt Island at Shiloh Marsh. This was an evening visit after birding at Orlando Wetlands all day. The lighting was behind our subject, but it was great get our life bird as soon as we arrived at the coast.
Reddish Egret running in the water
The next time we would see this bird was probably the best experience we could ever ask for. It was our first time driving Blackpoint Wildlife Drive at Merritt Island. We had no idea what to expect and where to find the good birds. We quickly found where the key spot to photograph in the morning was. The water was calm, the sun was at our backs and the birds were cooperative. We watched as a Reddish Egret fished right in front of us.
Using its wings to reduce glare in the water
Running across the water
Grabbing a fish
Down the hatch!
Looking for fish
Grabbing nothing but water
Going after a dragonfly
Bowing down to get a fish
A successful catch
Other birds caught our attention when the Egret left, but it soon returned for more fun.
Coming back close to us
Searching in perfect light
Running with wings spread open
Running left
Running right
About to pounce
Looking for some fish
Running with wings open
Shielding the sun
Stopping for a moment
I never thought I would experience that – especially in the perfect light with the perfect reflections. It was magical!
Later on that day, we came across another Egret. We were able to get fairly close in a blind. In fact, the bird came up really close to the window that I was photographing from.
Right outside the blind window
Looking for fish
Got one!
The next morning, we went right to the calm pool where we watched the egret at sunrise. This time, a Tricolored Heron stole the show, but a younger Egret did show up. This one was not as animated as the adult.
Young Reddish Egret
We did, however, find an adult down the road who let us watch him for a few minutes before taking off.
Rousing feathers
Rousing Feathers
Taking off
The bird sill “pops” in the distance
Our final encounter with the bird was at Gator Creek on our last day. It was a great way to say farewell to this beautiful bird.
Diving in
Running on water
Going for the strike
Grabbing a fish
Stopping to preen
The Reddish Egret quickly made its way to the top five of my list for favorite birds. What a fun bird to watch!
