More Destin, FL......

You probably wonder if I am ever going to finish these Florida photos!  I guess it is the cold weather, but I just can't seem to get in the mood to put a post together.  I do want to post them.....but can't get motivated to start.  Oh, well.....eventually I will be done!

We went on a 3 hour boat cruise as part of the wedding.  Sort of a reception before the wedding due to the time both were scheduled.  I hoped for lots of birds, but we were too far from land most of the time.  This Tern was perched on the post as we returned to the dock.  I have not seen one before but am guessing from the white forehead it is a Royal Tern?  

 I was very thankful for these posts since I got most of my photos of birds on them!  My best shot of one of the Brown Pelicans.

 Getting comfortable.

When he was landing......bent wings and one foot off!

 We saw many Laughing Gulls in assorted stages of life and colors.

 Another one.

 How nice of them to pose for me :-)

There were some Ring-billed Gulls mixed in, but mostly Laughing Gulls everywhere we went.

 Our boat chased this Cormorant off the post just as I was taking its photo.

 One swimming.

Another of the Pied-billed Grebes.

Can you see them?  These are my "mystery birds", which I got a very poor shot of.  I've been consulting different people about what they might be (for those who can zoom in on the photo).  So far I have been told Hooded Mergansers, but they don't look like that to me.  This will teach me to take more time to focus before I shoot!  (NOTE:  Kathie thinks these might be Grebes...possibly Horned Grebes.  I hope so because that would be a life bird for me!  Thanks again, Kathie)

 Back on land the owners of this marina had a pair of beautiful and acrobatic Macaws.

 They really enjoyed showing off for us.

 "Look what I can do!"

 "I'm just as pretty upside down!"

 I think they were trying to read the sign....."Do not attempt to handle these birds"

 "Who us?"

And lastly.....the Home of the World's largest Fishing Lure!

Down by the bridge.....

We had one day to go looking for birds so we drove towards Okaloosa Island which seemed the most likely place to find some.  Next to the bridge that crossed the water there is a small area you can park and walk along the water and there is a protected area on one side with dunes and a small bird area.  The Destin area is so overrun with people that finding anywhere for wildlife is hard.  These protected areas are part of Elgin Air Force Base.

 Out in the water near the bridge was a bird I wasn't sure about, but knew I hadn't seen before.  I'm pretty sure it is a Common Loon.....but they aren't common back home in Indiana :-)

 Not great photos, but I was just tickled to see it at all!

 It rides very low in the water and liked to rub its head on its back like this.

My clearest shot.

Directly across from the bay and bridge, was this small pond tucked into the dunes.

 There was quite a bit of life in this small pond.....Coots....

 ....a pair of Pied-billed Grebes, which never let me get this close to them back home!  Why are Florida birds so friendly????  Maybe they have to be due to all the people in their habitat.

 The pair of them out a bit further.

 Besides the Grebes, there were also a pair of Mallards hiding in the grass, but I didn't get good photos of them.

 Standing in the tall grasses was one Heron.  He was really tucked in out of the wind.

 In the sky, Pelicans were flying overhead, but never landed anywhere close by.  I'm not good at flying shots, so these are the best I got.

A plant growing in the sand.

It was a great place and I wish we had had more time to walk along the water looking for more birds.

Heron Rookery.....

I guess I need to start somewhere and since I already showed some herons, I will start with them.  We stumbled onto the heron rookery by chance.  We were sitting in a parking lot taking photos of a hawk that had just caught something.  The chain link fence behind us had a gate that with a padlock hanging unlocked, standing slightly open, and a sign that seemed to indicate that we could go inside.  We could see trees and the water across an open grass area, so we went in.  I felt like we were trespassing the whole time and kept thinking I would hear them padlock the gate as soon as we got inside.  I know....paranoid, but it just felt like a private place where we weren't suppose to be.

 When we got across the field there was a little pond and tall trees and the bridge I showed in the last post with a heron on it.  Then we noticed this heron the other side of a trash container, so I started sneaking up on him.

 Eventually we realized there were many heron there.....and didn't seem to mind our presence!  

 These aren't in any order.  I thought most of the heron's seemed to be in "mating plumes".  Notice the skinny one on the right.....a juvenile?

 The area behind the pond.....notice the Cattle Egret on the right.

 I thought the second one from the right was very "fluffed up".....is that mating activity?

 I just kept taking photos.  The herons at home are never this accommodating!

One on the bridge.

 A different Egret....don't know which one, but one of the tall ones.  Can you see the Coot at the edge of the water to the left?

 The Snowy Egret.  I've only seen one once before.  Short bird.(NOTE: Kathie has corrected me on this.  It is a Snowy Egret...which is a life bird for me!  I thought it was a Cattle Egret just because of the short looking legs.  Thanks, Kathie!)

 The height difference is very noticeable here with the Great Blue Heron nearby.

Herons and Egret

 They really looked nice and posed serenely like I wasn't even there.

 This ones color seems a little different.

There was one nest right over my head....with heron on it.

 Another tree top nest.

 I thought they looked like a line of old men enjoying the sun.  Maybe young bachelors is more accurate.

High over head.

 The pond had a few more visitors......a Cormorant.....

 .......a Pied-billed Grebe.....

 .....a very big turtle....

.....a couple of turtles.

We had to go meet up with family to have dinner, but I sure would have liked to explore this spot longer!  Unfortunately we had no time to go back there.  This trip was very short.  Drove all day Thursday, Friday we  mostly looked for birds, Saturday was a boat cruise and the wedding on the beach, and Sunday we drove all day again to get back home.