White ibis feeding with reflections, Bunche Beach Preserve

Photographing the wading birds at Bunche Beach Preserve in Florida provided so many unique viewpoints even though I didn't cover much distance. This particular morning the tide was way out when I arrived for sunrise, so I had a chance to wander the exposed tidal flats and shoot back toward the mangrove-shrouded shoreline. It was fun to find a few tidal pool filled with shallow still water that was drawing in the wading birds, which provided a what felt like a fairly unique perspective to be shooting across water toward the beach without being on a boat.

It was a pleasure to observe this ibis cruising back and forth across the pool, and eventually it found what it was looking for with the small crab being tossed from bill to gullet in the photograph below.

Little blue heron with reflection, Bunche Beach Preserve

A little blue heron intently searching the shoreline of a title pool for a meal at Bunche Beach Preserve in Fort Myers, Florida.

Snowy egret searching for prey, Bunche Beach Preserve

A snowy egret staring intently through the rising tide for prey below the surface at Bunche Beach Preserve in Florida.

Plover parent sheltering its chick, Sandy Point State Reservation

This attentive piping plover parent was keeping close watch over its lone chick. It's wonderful to see these birds caring for their young, but a little sad to know that most broods start out with four hatchlings.

Flock of dunlin in flight, Plymouth Beach

The coordinated flight of shorebirds is always fascinating to watch, often seeming as if they have the movements of single organism. Here, this small flock of dunlin were descending together toward the beach, all turned in the same direction.