On this sunny, warm morning in South Florida, my son and I kayaked on Sarasota Bay, where a low tide had created extensive shallows around the mangrove islands. While the conditions limited our course, they brought a variety of avian residents into view.
Among the waders were great blue herons, great egrets, little blue herons, a tri-colored heron, a green heron and a yellow-crowned night heron. About seventy American white pelicans fished the shallows, joined by a lesser number of brown pelicans, double-crested cormorants, pied-billed grebes and several belted kingfishers. Overhead, three ospreys and a lone bald eagle patrolled the bay.
By immersing ourselves in a natural ecosystem, whether on foot or by boat, we gain a better appreciation of the interaction between its various species, plant and animal alike. Drifting along in a kayak is one of the more enjoyable and least disruptive means of exploration.
Among the waders were great blue herons, great egrets, little blue herons, a tri-colored heron, a green heron and a yellow-crowned night heron. About seventy American white pelicans fished the shallows, joined by a lesser number of brown pelicans, double-crested cormorants, pied-billed grebes and several belted kingfishers. Overhead, three ospreys and a lone bald eagle patrolled the bay.
By immersing ourselves in a natural ecosystem, whether on foot or by boat, we gain a better appreciation of the interaction between its various species, plant and animal alike. Drifting along in a kayak is one of the more enjoyable and least disruptive means of exploration.
