The tri-colored heron, an early morning hunter, wades through shallow water in search of small fish and prawns hiding in the plentiful aquatic vegetation.

A pair of sandhill cranes watches over their two eggs. The couple will do this for 30 days until the eggs hatch.

A roseate spoonbill and an American white ibis sit on a fence post overlooking shadowy water in a canal.

A black-crowned night heron sits on a fence overlooking a canal. Night herons have large red eyes enabling them to hunt at dawn, dusk and into the darkness.

These Florida sandhill cranes are searching for food on an open pasture. One that is almost an adult is ruffling its feathers while its mother looks on.

Turkey vultures enjoy the sun while patiently waiting for their turn to eat.

This Green Heron [Butorides virescens] stands frozen while hunting little minnows in the crystal clear water. A beautiful stocky bird with its blue, green, yellow, gray and brown colors, it is seen mostly at dusk or dawn. Good hunters, unlike other wading birds, they are intolerant of other birds. These birds, which eat a wide variety of aquatic animals, use bait to attract fish by dropping food, insects or other small objects on the water’s surface.