Daytrips - Fort DeSoto Park - 01/12/2004 |
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| Near the end of the day, I lucked out. I went to the far east end of the island just to see what was there. I found a couple of Great Egrets (Ardea alba) standing by the side of a parking area just next to the eastern most beach - really a hard-surface shell and sand beach, not a bathing beach. I pulled up next to them - not more than 20 feet away using my car as a blind. Since the feeding grounds here are so close to a parking lot (and right in the middle of St Petersburg), these birds had been habituated to cars. As I sat there, not getting out of the car, the birds started preening. Eventually, five more joined them for a total of seven Great Egrets. | ||
Click on any thumbnail for a larger version. |
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Their necks are really long and they can reach all of their body - except for right behind their ears - with their beak. |
Gettin' right between the shoulder blades! |
Cleanin' the wings. |
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Scratchin' the ears. |
What was that noise? |
Under the wing. |
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Get those wing-pits. |
Now I feel all twisted up! |
And all ready to go courtin'. |
I watched and shot these birds for the good part of an hour. As long as you stay in the car and don't move too fast, most animals will just ignore you and take on life as normal. |
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