Peggy C's photos with the keyword: Great Blue Heron

- through Spanish Moss draped on the branches - to reflections in the lake - peaceful image - until the Pelicans fly in ! - then, it is chaos..... - from the Archives / Florida US © All rights reserved

ah... that feels good Great Blue Heron lakeside a contortionist, it seems just trying to get cool on a warm - still Winter day © All rights reserved ARCHIVE AIRINGS AA-331 WATERBIRD/WATERFOWL

. when I saw this GBH, thought it must be a statue . had seen one just a few minutes ago . but, no, this was just a GBH - shorter . look at his legs . from his body down to the mulch . then, look to find the feet . amazing . through the nictitating membrane . inner eyelid . he was watching en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nictitating_membrane © All rights reserved

- a Heron - Great Blue - flew by me - landed in this greenery - spooked by some noisy Coots and Moorhens - finally decided a quieter place might be better © All rights reserved

.. the fisherpersons have left .. now, shall find some snacks or even dinner .. it's a great day to go fishing ! cropped/signed in: www.picmonkey.com © All rights reserved

.. Great Blue Heron in the lake .. watching for movement in the waters .. time for a snack .. but, he had fisherpersons to deal with .. one left, but the other was still there .. certainly those humans have been told it is the .. Lake of The Great Blue Heron ! cropped/signed in: www.picmonkey.com © All rights reserved

- hiding didn't make me disappear - so, getting loud [as only a Great Blue can] - rats, she's still here ! - the things we go through - minding our own business - searching for food - grooming to we look elegant - then, those people show up - boy, some really do stay a long time ! - she should have enough to last a while all cropped/signed only in: www.picmonkey.com ^ no enhancement ^ © All Rights Reserved

.. Save It ..! .. on a day like today -- "The Alphabet Site" -- 'G' .. nothing will do .. the 'feather-do' .. won't .. so, this is a Great Blue Heron .. wind-blown style .. elegant display .. by a regal wader SOOC .. framed/cropped/signed only in: www.picmonkey.com © All Rights Reserved

- Great Blue Heron - the Statue of Elegance - the pose of seriousness - aka ... 'a human is nearby' stature - statue .. perhaps the 'human' will leave - just be patient - can outlast almost any 'human' - wait - wait - told ya! - the 'human' is gone ~ edited in: www.picmonkey.com © All Rights Reserved

.. if Great Blue Herons frown .. this is certainly one of annoyance .. humans just don't leave us alone .. even if we fly over them .. make as much noise as possible .. humans come back for more .. weird creatures are they ! edited in: www.picmonkey.com © All Rights Reserved

- may you have a beautiful - even if a bit blustery - day ! cropped/framed/signed in: www.picmonkey.com © All Rights Reserved

- in Florida - FL USA - found a tree changing color - even though it's different than Oaks, Maples, Gum or Poplars - it still changes color - to the left of this Florida Fall tree - Great Blue Heron preening while the wind blows off the lake - to the right - always curious squirrel scampering down a Palm tree - then --- ooops! - where did you come from, human ? collage done in: www.picmonkey.com © All Rights Reserved

- nothing he did could make his feathers stay put - groomed / preened .. nothing worked - the way he is huddled up, you would think it was cold - not to me - just blustery - Great Blue Heron at the lake cropped/framed in: www.picmonkey.com © All Rights Reserved

- a Great Blue Heron - lakeside among the grasses & reeds - if a feather is moving - it would be the breeze - he didn't even move his neck - no posture changes - nothing - until - all of a sudden - he turned 180deg - and flew off - telling me all about bothering his day ! - very loudly, too ! cropped / signed: www.picmonkey.com © All Rights Reserved

- don't move - got you covered, GB - she'll pay attention to my feathers - try to catch the sun shining through - but - remember - you OWE me - big time - said Miz M to GBH [ trying to hide from the human ] edited in: www.picmonkey.com © All Rights Reserved

.. usually elegant Great Blue Heron .. caught in process of 'feather-fixing' .. grooming - preening .. feathers were every which way .. elegance not now .. almost back to the stately GBH .. we know and love .. almost .. but, since he's not quite there .. used new textures in PicMonkey edited in: www.picmonkey.com © All Rights Reserved

several shooters taking advantage of a nice day (before the rains are to come) .. waterfowl all over .. still ID-ing some of them! -no cropping © All rights reserved

two waterbirds looking for dinner .. a Great Blue in the marshy grasses .. on shore, a Wood Stork .. all waterbirds in Florida are protected .. the Wood Stork (from pages read on the internet) seems to be quite low in numbers .. but, there are many, many of them here .. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- - From SouthWest Florida Water Management District (SwiftMud) "The wood stork is a large, long-legged wading bird that is white with a gray-black featherless head. It is listed as an endangered species by government agencies. This is because disruptions and loss of wetland areas important to its feeding and breeding have reduced the number of stork in Florida. Because of its distinctive black, featherless head, the wood stork is sometimes called "ironhead." The wood stork's tail and the tips of its wings also are black. These birds use their large bills to search shallow waters and wetlands for fish. They do this by holding their bills open and sweeping them from side to side as they walk through the water. The moment the bird feels the fish against its beak, it grabs and swallows it. In fact, the closing of a wood stork's beak is considered one of the fastest movements in the animal kingdom! Nesting is timed with the cycle of the wetlands. During the drier months, larger wetland areas dry up and become smaller wet areas. The fish that once swam throughout the larger wetland areas become concentrated and trapped in these smaller areas. The wood storks take advantage of this "concentration" to feast on the trapped fish and carry back food to their young at the nest. A pair of wood storks need about 440 lbs. of fish in one breeding season to feed themselves and their young! In times of drought, wood storks often fail to breed or raise young." -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --- -- -- -- -- --- -- -- -- ---- -- -- ---- - SOOC © All rights reserved