The first Bird I come across with an adult Tri-colored Heron.  It is nesting season in the wetlands and so the first thing I am looking for is whether there are babies.  Sadly there were not so I meander on.

The Woodstorks have taken over at the first rest pavilion area.  In previous years the Great Blue Heron’s would nest there however over the last 3 years the Woodstorks have moved in and not left much space for other birds to build their nests.

I am always fascinated by spider webs, spider definitely less so.  The colors in this image really appealed to me.

I don’t often get to see an Egyptian Goose, however, I recently had one visit my back canal a few weeks ago.  These bird bring back memories of my youth and a friends mother feeding them.  They are beautiful birds and a pleasure to see.

The Iguana is an alien species to the wetlands.  Whenever we visit the Florida Keys they seem to be in abundance.  In the wetlands there are less of them.  This one is a small iguana.  There are definitely some that are much bigger.  The interesting thing about iguana’s is that they change from this green color to orange color when in mating season.

Wildflowers and bees are hard to catch because the bee barely sits still for two seconds.  I think I probably took 20 images just to get this one.

Wild flowers amidst the various shades of grasses.

This is one of the most interest plants I have seen in the wetlands. The Cephalanthus occidentalis (Common buttonbush) is apparently part of the coffee family.

I love this walkway and today I pulled out my Lensbaby composer pro with a soft focus optic, to see what I could get. I do love the effect of the Lensbaby images.

I spotted this small frame of light and remembered that one of the group I am in focuses on finding the light.  This one worked for that theme.

There are new chicks on the block. Three Tri-colored Herons were hanging out today . This little one was sitting all by itself.  I love how it’s legs are all stretched out in front of him.

And here is the previous Tri-colored Heron’s partners in crime. These babies are a welcome sight at the wetlands.

This Cormorant hangs out in the wetlands, and while I am not as close as I seem to be, it is not afraid when you walk past it. It watches you with it’s beady until you pass but it rarely flies away. The beady eye of the Cormorant is a beautiful turquoise.

I spotted the outer petal of the pond apple flower lying on the wooden railing.  The narrow depth of field is one of my favorite styles of taking an image. I love the sharpness with the contrasting blur.

This Stilt had created a nest in a “dry” spot due to low levels of water. However, we have had some increase in the water level. She laid and was nesting on 4 eggs.

While I was watching the female Stilt, she kept getting up and moving the eggs.  My understanding was that they were due to hatch within a couple of days.

Sadly a young resident gator must have discovered the nest on Friday afternoon or Saturday. By Saturday mid morning the Stilts had gone and the 4 eggs had disappeared and the gator was hanging out.  It is a rare treat to see a Stilt up close and I was saddened about the loss of the eggs.

I do believe that this Alligator was the cause of the demise of the Stilt eggs. The good news is the parents are building a new nest. The bad news is that the silly Stilts are building it in a similar area. I guess they did not learn.