When I wrote about my early June visit to the Circle B Bar Reserve, I left out the best part. Spoonies!!! A flock of Roseate Spoonbills was hanging out on Wading Bird Way, foraging in the shallow waters along the edge of the trail. A gentle sprinkle fell as we watched them pulling fish out of the water.

It was a very gray, cloudy day, not ideal for flight shots, but the spoonies didn’t know that. They flew in and out like crazy. I really liked this shot below, with the spoonies staring straight at the camera as he flew in.

I loved the still waters and how they created beautiful reflections of the pretty birds. This bird was close to the trees, and he gave a little splash as he searched for his breakfast.

This Spoonie gave an even bigger splash and a great wing-flap. I wished I had zoomed out a little first!

You really appreciate the bird’s bill in this next shot. The Roseate Spoonbill is the only spoonbill in the Americas. it’s the perfect shape to help the bird pull fish from the water.

The spoonies weren’t the only ones enjoying the wading pool. This Great Blue Heron suddenly pulled a giant fish from the water. He stood with it for a few seconds while the cameras clicked and everybody asked, “How’s he going to eat that?” Well, he wasn’t dumb. A few minutes later, he carefully slid the fish back into the water.

Remember the cute little Sandhill Crane colts I used to photograph at Circle B? We came across this year’s family of cranes as we left Wading Bird Way. The baby was already almost as tall as his parents. They walked down the trail together, quite undisturbed by the people around them.

A few seconds later, the whole family was dancing. The juvenile’s wing-flap lasted a little longer as he stretched his wings and seemed to think about trying to fly. When I looked at the image on my computer, he seemed to be happily singing in the rain. It wasn’t actually raining very hard, but I added a rain texture to complete the effect!