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VIDEO A large flock of White Ibis descended next to our lake in Broward County, Florida on their way back to their usual habitat after the exit of Hurricane Dorian. Since we just had a heavy rain downpour, the Ibis went on a feeding frenzy in the moist ground for small worms and other tiny critters. Soon after this video was recorded the Ibis, having eaten their fill, left and did not return.

In a particular part of Florida the White Ibis is known as the Chokoloskee Chicken. There is at least one FREEPER near Chokoloskee, they are a wild and rowdy bunch down there! North Florida FREEPERS, on the other hand, are genteel and cultivated! It's cloudy, wet and windy. Everything is hunkered down and waiting out the weather. The onshore wind has pushed the water way up in the marsh and the birds are hanging out on little islands.

I commented earlier on the value of White Ibis on lawns and in gardens. These guys are working this section of lawn for grubs and mole crickets. They leave a little hole that looks like it was made by a thick pencil, aereating the soil. They aren't messy like geese and ducks, and don't bother vegetation. Click on the link.

Snowy Egrets and White Ibis today. The tide is exceptionally high, it's a seasonal trend, lots of marsh birds way out, perched in the Mangroves. Nothing moving at the pond. I waited a while and the Snowies and Ibis started showing up. I put out some french fries and dry cat food to bring in some gulls, they just weren't eating at the time, and a gull will usually eat anything. If you know you have a good spot, and nothing is there, wait for a while, often, they will come. Hunting is an exercise in patience, and wildlife photography...

I prowled around the edges of the saltmarsh, found some Snowy Egrets. These birds aren't showing color change for breeding season yet, although the plumage is right for the time. The lores and feet will get red before long.The Ibis are from the flock out near my homestead.

Zippity Doo Dah Zippity Ay My oh my What a wonderful day. This flock of White Ibis will let me approach within 10 or 12 feet if I move slowly. They were resting quietly in a patch of little flowers. Scenes like this only come along occassionally. The dark birds are last years chicks.

White Ibis taking a break. Before I left they were down on the ground digging for bugs and crawdads.

Until yesterday you could find White Ibis in small flocks near any water body. Now they are beginning to form larger flocks in preparation for breeding season. The first year birds, with darker plumage, will be left to fend on their own. Momma is going to be busy with new chicks.

You never let an Ibis walk on your carpet! This is in the basin behind Mission Nombre De Dios, St. Augustine, Florida.

Top officials at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services acknowledged in internal e-mails that some of their employees are able to decide visa applications without being able to do full background checks, even in important national security cases. SNIP But the e-mails show turf battles within that agency and with other agencies in the Department of Homeland Security are hindering the department's national security mission. In one situation, the acting deputy director purportedly ordered one investigative branch not to provide information to a top-level team deciding the toughest cases because of turf conflicts with another branch. Meanwhile, other adjudicators do not...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 April 6 Vintage Gamma Rays Credit: ESA / IAS / CEA-SACLAY Explanation: Gamma-rays are the most energetic form of electromagnetic radiation. But these high energy photons penetrate and interact in normal materials and cannot be focused by lenses and mirrors like those in optical telescopes. So how do you make an image in gamma-ray light? One way is to use a patterned mask of material which can...