More Photos from the Everglades

Snowy egrets and great blue herons migrate to Pennsylvania, but they are very photo shy. They won't let me come closer than a quarter of a mile before taking off. I was therefore thrilled how tame those birds are in Florida. This heron was sitting on top of a shelter, providing me with an uncluttered background. Others stalked through the grass right next to the trail. Would that I could photograph a rookery in such close proximity!

The Rookery

Yesterday was a gorgeous day and most importantly, it wasn't windy. We therefore headed out to Big Sewickley Creek Road near Ambridge to view the Great Blue Heron rookery we had discovered last year. There must have been 20 or more nests, but photographing them was difficult. Many branches obstruct the view, making focusing and taking a decent photo almost impossible. To show you what I had to cope with I'm including some of my photos here.
Every now and then, one heron took off in flight and glided over the valley. I could never figure out where they flew. When they returned with a stick in their beak they "handed" it to their partner who was busy outfitting the nest. Occasionally, a fight erupted and the herons honked at each other, almost sounding like Canada Geese.