Jan. 12, 2020 - St. Marks NWR

One of my favorite places to bird during our annual visit to Florida is St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. An American Flamingo has made the refuge its home for over a year. I saw it last year but was anxious to see it again. I got up very early and made the 1½ hour drive to St. Marks, arriving before sunrise. I headed right to the East River Pool viewing spot and got out my camera. Other birders who were already there pointed out the Flamingo’s location. I just had time to find it in my binoculars, when someone shouted, “It’s taking off!” The Flamingo flew in our direction and I grabbed my camera. As it passed right over the spot where we stood, I was able to get this photo. It really emphasizes the bird’s long, skinny legs and neck.

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I was surprised that I didn’t see many alligators this year at St. Marks. My photo gallery already includes plenty of Alligator shots taken over the years we’ve been coming to Florida. However, I couldn’t pass up a shot of this big gator lying in the sun soaking up rays.

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A Bald Eagle builds a large nest and then adds more sticks to it each year. This one has been used for many years and has become huge. Here’s one of the eagles guarding the nest.

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Belted Kingfishers are very skittish and notoriously hard to photograph. This one cooperated and was perched on a very interesting stump. By deliberately under exposing this shot, I ended up with a very nice silhouette.

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This is a weird shot of a female Boat-tailed Grackle. It’s like the photos in my Bird Mug Shots book but the eyes are really spooky looking. Birds have a second eyelid called a nictitating membrane. The color of this membrane varies by species, and Boat-tailed Grackles have a bright blue one. By sheer luck, this photo shows the bird just as its second eyelids closed.

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An unusual non-bird flew over the refuge during the time I was there.

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