A Peaceable Place

(And How the Various Birds Feed There)

"Jay! Quick! Can you please turn the car around?"

We were driving down the Overseas Highway in the Florida Keys, Jay at the wheel and I looking out the window. We'd crossed over bridges and passed miles of mangrove bushes and roadside marshes, barely a bird in sight. Then through another curtain of mangroves I suddenly noticed flashes of white patches through the leaves.

Jay did turn the car around and parked on the side of a quiet road. As I ventured out and peered through the branches, an astonishing sight came into view. There before me was a huge menagerie of various birds, all feeding in the marshy waters.

Snowy Egrets, Great Egrets, White Ibises, Roseate Spoonbills, and Black-necked Stilts all feeding together in the roadside marsh off Guava Avenue in Marathon, Florida.

I couldn't believe the collection nor how numerous it was. Pelicans and Great Egrets were flying in and out. Just as I would focus my attention on one, in would fly a Snowy Egret. Meanwhile, just across the pond, another Snowy Egret was going after a Little Blue Heron, evidently informing the Little Blue Heron that this little patch was already taken. There were flocks of White Ibises and at least nine Roseate Spoonbills in that marsh, and a new lifer* for me -- Black-necked Stilts.

I crawled over branches and through the thicket, trying to do so without making much noise while also carrying my camera and attempting to stay hidden. As I did, I watched my footing, looking for groupings of branches and roots on which to step so that my feet wouldn't sink into the murky mud. Honestly, I was also looking around, making sure that there were no lurking alligators or snakes. (No photograph is worth that risk.)

Finally settled, I felt the roadside marsh work its magic on me. It drew me in, despite the rain that had started to come down. These words kept coming into my mind: "This is like the Peaceable Kingdom. This is a Peaceable Place."

Yes, sometimes the various egrets were marking territory, but most often the birds were simply feeding together in the same place, working in and around each other. As I continued to watch, I also observed the different modes that various species use for finding food. It was fascinating to learn and take it all in as I became part of the moment.

Snowy Egrets sometimes wade through shallow water, their bright yellow feet attracting small fish. Other times they stand still, then jiggle their stick-like legs to attract fish, jabbing the fish with their bill. Snowy Egrets hunt by sight.

Black-necked Stilts use their long, pink legs to wade through shallow waters and fish by sight. Sometimes they use their long, thin bills to clamp onto insects. At other times they see a fish or tadpole in the water below and jab it with their bills.

Roseate Spoonbills hunt by touch. Their long, spoon-like bills are extremely sensitive. I watched at length as the Spoonbills swung their heads from side-to-side, their bills in the water. When a small fish or shrimp comes in, their bills automatically close.

We ended up visiting that roadside marsh twice, first on our way southward and again on our way back. Each time I was drawn in. Each time there was something more to watch, something more to learn. Each time, all those different birds held me in awe.

Great Egret, landing.

In all, we didn't see as many birds in the Florida Keys as I'd anticipated. But that didn't matter. That one glance as we drove down the road led to a pullover to a marsh that I will never forget.

My travel/nature journal entry from this experience.

*lifer -- refers to seeing a bird for the first time in one's life

---

Thank you for reading. If this blog was forwarded to you, I wanted to share that I send a short, weekly nature email called "A Closer Look." It is simply one of my nature photos and a short bit of original writing, encouraging us to notice the nature that is right there but that we often overlook. To subscribe (it's free), please click on the Contact/Subscribe page of my website.