Nesting Birds, Bathing Birds, Fishing Birds, BIFs & more (3/24/23)

The following photos were taken on both February 19th and February 25th, in and around my two local wetlands, Green Cay and Wakodahatchee.  Activity is high this time of year - hundreds of nests and what I like to call 'BIF-palooza' - where at the end of the day before sunset, you can stand in one spot and shoot hundreds of birds in flight passing as close as 5 feet from you - with a dozen species or more all flying past.

There isa mix of bird shots not in flight and BIFs - plus a terrapin.

All shots here taken with the FE 200-600mm G OSS lens on the A6600, and posted at 2400 pixels on the long side if you view them in original size:

Red-shouldered hawk - a pair had been hanging around this cypress forest patch for weeks, and finally they built a nest and settled down to lay eggs

A tricolored heron, in breeding plumage, taking a nice, soaking bath to cool and clean off on a hot winter day

Very close up with a great blue heron - the heron was hunting for fish in the shallow water below, so it didn't get distracted by me, 8 feet away

A moorhen having an afternoon stretch

A boat-tailed grackle, flying back and forth in front of me and calling out loudly - not sure if I was considered a potential danger, or a challenger for his mating dominance

A glossy ibis, banking around to look for a nice spot to land in the shallow waters of the wetlands

Great egret flying past, bright whites standing out against the clear blue sky

The always pretty tricolored heron, even moreso in breeding plumage, flying past the treeline

The big wood stork, coming back to its nesting island, with a few calls to alert its mate of its return

The female anhinga has her breeding colors too - that green band around the eyes - as she flies past

A small break in the BIFs - I couldn't help but shoot this cooter turtle sitting up on shore in some kind of turtle yoga pose

And again, another week, and another male boat-tailed grackle flying around me and calling out.

This male red-winged blackbird also had a few things to say - mostly just singing and calling out to attract a mate as they prepare to start nesting around mid-March

Shooting into the sun, this nesting pair of great egrets getting their nest ready got some nice backlighting and glow

Another glossy ibis, banking away as it approached me, catching the late afternoon sunlight under its wings

Comments, questions, and critique welcomed in the time we have left.