Minnows in the Morning

This young White Ibis led me along a Florida shore for quite a distance one morning. The bird was aware of my presence, and I was careful not to enter his personal space. While foraging for breakfast, he poked his bill into the sand and drilled around for burrowing crustaceans. An occasional school of minnows would lure the Ibis a little deeper.

Oh, to be a shore bird and live in subtropical splendor—free of charge—where food is abundant, and the water is pure delight!

Black tail feathers and brown mottling identify this bird as being immature. The adults of the species are completely white with beautiful ice-blue eyes.