Wind Dancers

Wind Dance I, originally uploaded by Paul-G.

Kay and I took a couple of days to join family in St. Augustine late this week for a stay at the Old Powder House Bed and Breakfast. St. Augustine is one of our favorite quick getaways (about 30 miles south of us), and our lodgings were in the heart of the historic district. We ate too well, drank some fine wine, walked for miles, and generally had a desperately needed break from the day-to-day stress of our busy lives.

Friday morning we headed out to the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. Because the massive population of Florida alligators are natural enemies of the natural predators of our native water birds, the farm has turned into a very busy rookery during the late winter to mid-summer months. Herons and egrets of all descriptions, roseate spoonbills, and wood storks fly in to find their mates, build nests, lay eggs and raise their young in relative safety.

While a bit early in the season, (only the great egrets, a few little egrets, night herons and woods storks are in and starting to nest), I was able to snare a number of decent images of these amazing birds in flight, and displaying their breeding plumage. The one above is a great egret. pulling to a stop to do a bit of nest building. You can find an additional dozen or so photos from this trip to the rookery on my website, HERE. Enjoy!