Remember that Black-necked Stilt nest that I found on my last trip to the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive? I returned two mornings later on my bike. I wanted to check on the nest, then I was going to bike down to the lake for some exercise. My plans changed when I saw the adult stilt carrying an egg… :)

The nest was far out in the marsh in a field of yellow flowers. I saw the other stilt sitting on the nest, and next to her was a tiny baby! My plans for the morning changed quickly as I hauled out my Beast and my 2x teleconverter.

Mom spent most of the morning incubating the newborn. The smallest baby was still wet from the egg. The other two babies were a little older and very adventurous. They would wiggle out from under Mom and go for little walks at the base of the nest.

It took a while, but I finally got a clear shot of the babies alone on the nest. The newborn is the one on the far right, mostly hidden by a branch.

Mom didn’t leave them alone for very long. In this next shot, she got back on the nest and tucked in her babies. I love the yawn on the baby under her tummy!

I tore myself away from this little family after observing them for a couple of hours. It was a privilege to spend the morning with them as they adjusted to being a family of five. I couldn’t wait to go back and see the babies grow up!