An incredibly brave Roseate Spoonbill greeted me as I returned to the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive on Sunday. This beautiful bird has been hanging out at the Lust Road gate for a couple of weeks now. He’s the local celebrity who stops traffic as drivers grab their cameras. He spends a good bit of his time at the edge of the canal, with his beak covered in green algae. He did me a favor and hopped up on a fence to preen, giving me a gorgeous green background for this image.

After a few days of wind and rain, I was ready to get out with the camera – even if it meant braving the weekend crowds. I opted to walk instead of drive, though. I headed up to the Crazy U area. On my way, I spotted this drake Blue-winged Teal swimming in the rippling water that reflected the golden and green tones of the nearby vegetation.

I ran into a few old friends – some human friends, and other friends with feathers. I chatted with the people as we watched for the feathered friends to emerge from the vegetation. A family of Gray-headed Swamphens was foraging relatively near the road. One of the babies called repeatedly. The adults would come out briefly, then dart back into the reeds. Finally I got a few good shots.

It was a good morning for Northern Harriers. Several female harriers rode the breeze and soared over the edge of the marsh. A few of them came close enough to the road for some decent shots.

As I headed back to my car, I noticed a bird flying in with a fish in its mouth. The Double-crested Cormorant landed in the water and triumphantly showed his prize – a big catfish. It was a pretty big fish, and I wondered how he would manage to get it down. A few seconds later, he disappeared under the water. He stayed under for about thirty seconds and then emerged with a limp fish, so I guess the bird won!