April 3, 2022 - St. Marks NWR

During our stay in Florida this year, I made two trips to St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. On one of those trips, I arrived early enough to see this Boat-tailed Grackle singing to greet the sun rising in the background.

GrackleBoattailedmalesingingMarksNWR20220112

Here’s a better look at a male Boat-tailed Grackle. Females look quite different than the males. They are noticeably smaller and have brown feathers.

GrackleBoattailedmalesingingMarksNWR20220112

A burned-out tree made a nice lookout post for this Red-shouldered Hawk.

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I got some great looks at this American Avocet in its non-breeding plumage.

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Look at the length of that beak on this Wilson’s Snipe. Also notice the brown and white pattern of the feathers on its back. The pattern helps it blend in with the marshy habitat where it normally feeds.

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That long beak comes in handy when a Snipe is probing in the mud looking for worms.

SnipeWilson'sMarksNWR20220112

I left St. George Island at 4:00 AM so I could get to St. Marks in time to watch the sun rise. This was my reward.

SunriseMarksNWR20220112