Wood Stork - RedTentBlueTarp

Rain and spanish moss in the early morning

Overnight the world broke into a million tiny shards and fell upon the water. Well, it looked like that this morning, at any rate. As the day dawned the rain fell in large flll droplets and the wind created a grey sheet around the backyard.

It is remarkable how the quality of the mornings changes with the gusting winds. As the winds slowed and the curtain of shadows slowly lifted, I saw this tricolored heron, alone, hunting. He alone would brave the weather.

And later a pair of mallards showed up. They were less afraid of me this time – or I was more cautious. At any rate, he and his partner munched along the shoreline, grateful for the fury of the wind that created swirls and eddies of delicious new food supplies.

The early bird catches the first...worms? grubs? — The early bird catches the first…worms? grubs?

And still later. While I watched the ducks, I caught a glimpse of a very large bird flying in. He came across the flyway and landed in the middle of the lawn. I was very excited. It has been months since I’ve seen a wood stork and here he came. I was also afraid to get close because I do not yet know his temperament. But I did get this shots from 60 or so feet away.