Underway at Last

Love is in the air! We visited a rookery near Venice, FL today. It’s a favorite nesting place for herons, egrets, and anhingas. Could be that the alligators swimming around this small island and sunning themselves on it keep other predators away from the nesting birds. The egret (above) has fancy plumage and a green stripe on its face to attract a mate.

This is how baby birds are made.

See the tiny baby egret near the parent’s beak. (Ok- this baby belongs to a different pair– not the lovebirds shown above.)