spread your wings

There has been no shortage of birds in our backyard lately. The river canal that runs right by our dock provides tasty snacks for a lot of the neighborhood birds, and the oak tree is enjoyed by the smaller birds. 

We had a beautiful great white egret (above), as well as a great blue heron ( I think he was  immature/his coloring), and another small heron which I have not identified yet - Steve helped me, I think it is a Tri-colored heron! (pictured in the album linked below) plus a little blue heron, all in one afternoon. All of these birds were hanging out together too! Of course that's not to mention the green parakeets that fly overhead in bunches, chattering loudly . . . the grackles, mockingbirds, cardinals, jays, and wrens perhaps? LOTs of birds here on the river! But the larger birds that perch in trees or on the boat lifts and hunt for fish are the most entertaining, I think. The great blue heron and the great white egret did a lot of preening! 

I have run out of "extra" photos so I will give you a link to a Google Photo Album. This album begins with a 30-second video of the great white egret catching a fish & swallowing it! Then, some other photos of the birds I mentioned we saw. I had fun working with my new camera and it was also the first time I tried a video with it. I had more practice using it today and will follow up with that soon!