I was leaving The Viera Wetlands  one April afternoon because it had started to rain and I assumed there would be no more photography action that afternoon. Suddenly this Least Bittern appeared and took off right beside me! What a gift. These small Bitterns are hard to spot because they blend into their surroundings and even more difficult to photograph in flight because it is SO difficult to find them in the reeds. They live a very secretive life and I was blessed to have this one take off right in front of me at a time when I thought photography for that day was over due to rainy weather.

The American Robin is so common and so widespread! The American Robin’s beautiful song is often the first birdsong that greets us at dawn in America. Despite their familiarity and abundance, I find them beautiful and couldn’t resist this one sitting on a dead branch.

These small birds with their large heads, long pointed beaks and rapid flight are incredibly challenging to photograph in flight. On a trip to Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge last fall I watched several of these little speedy fliers zip around over the water. They are so quick I can understand why they are called Kingfishers as they swiftly catch fish and dart back to safety to eat their meal.

I was intently focused on photographing Belted Kingfishers in flight as they darted by my camera one evening at Bombay Hook Wildlife Refuge. The sun was quickly setting and I turned around and this “jewel” sat on a dead limb directly behind me! I thought it was a Juvenile Black-Crowned Night-Heron because I had seen several flying around earlier but something was very different. It was the seldom seen Juvenile Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron.

These Pelicans are so pretty and colorful but they are almost comical with their huge bill. They dive head first for their food and can dive into the water from as high as 65 feet! They can hold 2.5 gallons of water in their throat pouch. Seems a pretty efficient way to eat.