A Great Egret stands straight to better see prey from afar.

An Osprey sits in a tree and watches the water for prey.

This little Forster's Tern was the only one on the beach and sky that day.

A Royal Tern returns without anything, assuredly to get harassed by it's juvenile.

An Osprey climbs heavily into the sky, having missed his last dive.

A Black-bellied Plover walks by me, apparently annoyed at my presence. I guess the Christmas season has everyone a little on edge!

A Yellow-crowned Night Heron shows what makes it a great night hunter.

A female Red-winged Blackbird scans for the likeliest place to find some food.

A Red-bellied Woodpecker begins a lengthy ascent

A Tricolored Heron casts a wary eye to the sky as something moves in the trees nearby.

A Pine Warbler chows down in the late morning.

People are awful. While we were doing our counts, a woman brought a dog on the beach -- they're prohibited in all beach areas and parking here -- and started scaring the birds, including this threatened Piping Plover.

We simply told her that she wasn't allowed to have the dog there and while she got into her car (after hurling a few insults), she decided to circle the lot and kept waving and hollering at us to let us know she was there. We waited and birded until she finally left to ensure we weren't followed home.

I've had plenty of encounters with people that got aggressive over simple asks like that and even had people set their dogs after me, but this was one of the creepiest ones yet.

But we got to stay strong, like this little Piping Plover did and not give up ground to protect what few natural spaces are left.

An Osprey perches at the very tip of a snag

A Gray Catbird sits at the ready to spring into action.

A Red-winged Blackbird gives us a very stern look as we go by. Really made me wonder what I’d done wrong!

Sometimes, like this Snowy Egret, it’s just too much trouble.

A Little Blue Heron gives his best determined stare off in into the distance.

A Roseate Spoonbill shows off it's impressive wingspan as it balances on a precariously thin stick.

Those red eyes of the Roseate Spoonbill!

A Tricolored Heron wades through a flooded field, looking hard to snag tiny frogs.

A little female Boat-tailed Grackle sticks her tongue out at me after I took pictures of her splashing and preening.

A tiny Palm Warbler looks for the next perch as it relaxes in the shade of a little leaf parasol.

A young North American River Otter pokes his head out of the waters to see where the rest of the family is.

A Pileated Woodpecker flies

A Tricolored Heron flies round and round

A Yellow-crowned Night Heron lurks in the shadows, hiding from others, or maybe the heat?

A Tricolored Heron rouses and check his back.

A male Mallard takes a break from preening his shiny new feathers.

Because everyone needs a break sometimes.

Sometimes, she just likes to hang out. Other times, she makes angry Anhinga noises

A Roseate Spoonbill flies by, backlit in the early morning sun.

A Great Egret shows off his impressive beak.

Pinky, our juvenile Roseate Spoonbill, shows off that impressive namesake bill during a big yawn.

Ever notice how birds close their third eyelid while yawning? I imagine we'd do much the same if we had one.

This juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron gives us a nice yawn this early morning, but not because he just got up -- he's probably getting ready for bed!

A Snowy Egret pulls back from a failed strike, looking moderately frustrated.

A male Common Yellowthroat spies prey up above.

A Tricolored Heron climbs to the top of a snag

It’s rare to see Yellow-billed Cuckoos so wide in the open, but last week we had three great occurrences of three separate birds!

A Green Heron imperiously watches from his perch.

A Black Skimmer begins to slow and descend to join the colony.

A Great Egret struts across a field

A Yellow-throated Warbler whirls on us, perhaps surprised it was spotted?

From an Osprey

A Laughing Gull flies off with a big meal courtesy of a Royal Tern.

A Great Egret stalks off

Have you ever seen such a perfect thistle?

An Osprey surveillance the waters below for a meal.