Smith Oaks Sanctuary Wading Birds: June 2017

Rookeries like the one at the Smith Oaks Audubon Sanctuary amaze me. I love how different species can be so comfortable doing the most important thing in their lives -- creating and raising offspring -- in such close proximity to each other.
They're kind of like buffets for a nature photographer, too. Why go to a bunch of different places when you can see so much diversity all in one location?

Work smarter, not harder.  That's my motto.

This Great Egret kept looking at the turtles in the water like it wanted to give one a try, but never did.  Not sure if it was instinct or previous experience that let it know that they wouldn't make a good meal.

The only thing I saw it catch was one poor damselfly.  Hardly seemed worth the effort, but I guess calories are calories.

I commented in my previous post about how Snowy Egret babies always look angry to me.  This pair were showing off the two main looks of adults -- still angry, and dazed hostage.

I don't put a lot of time and effort into trying to get shots of birds in flight, and I really should.  I'm always happy when I get something decent, like this Roseate Spoonbill.  I wonder if I'm mainly put off by the feast-or-famine nature of these attempts.  Pictures tend to be either complete garbage or absolutely wonderful.  But don't I have enough "good" photos?  Shouldn't my goal at this point be to get truly special ones?  Something to ponder...

I didn't notice the Cormorant peeking out from behind the Spoonbill coming in for a landing until I was typing this post.  Observant as ever when in the field, that's me.

I believe the Great Egret drew the short straw to watch for alligators while the Spoonbills took a drink.

Another decent flight shot that makes me think, "Hey, I need to try and take more of these."

Related Posts:

• Smith Oaks Sanctuary Babies: June 2017
• Smith Oaks Sanctuary Miscellany: June 2017
• Smith Oaks Rookery: April 2016 
• Smith Oaks Sanctuary: April 2016