Just killin' time

The other morning I was scouting an area to see if any tarpon had moved in on the last moon. As I drifted with the current, I was reminded of all the shy animals that inhabit the marshes. Many of these are never seen, unless you make a point of looking for them. One of the first birds that I noticed was a red winged black bird. While not the shyest in the marsh, they always seem to be back in the reeds.

As I drifted a little further along the alligators began to show themselves. They tend to sink out of sight until things settle down, then will go about their routines.

I began to hear the call of least bitterns, but couldn't see them. These smallest of the heron clan are very shy and stay perfectly still when alarmed. I finally found a couple of them and managed to get a few pictures of a couple of males in breeding plumage.

I didn't find any females in this area, but did find one a few hundred yards away.

The female's coloration is very similar to that of an American bittern, but they are much smaller in size. While I looking at her, I saw something dark moving through the reeds. I eased around the corner and spotted a common moorhen moving through the reeds.

 

As a parting shot, a group of snowy egrets flew over. Here's my rendition.

 

Oh yea, the tarpon that I was looking for ...well you'll just have to come down!