Early Morn

A beautiful morning looking across Biscayne Bay toward Miami Beach. Just as the sun's first glimmer began to color the sky, the many birds roosting on the several small islands began to vocalize. Then they left the islands in flocks, calling to one another as they began to wing their way westward. The crows took off first, cawing and cawing. They flew to the pilings you see in two of these photos and then when it was decided that the 'appropriate' number had gathered...off they flew. Three 'murders' (for that's what you call a flock of crows) gathered then departed to the west in about 10 minutes. Gulls were next as they began to leave their roosts, followed by Ibis, and what appeared to be herons of some type. Yesterday I heard and then saw a pair of large parrots also leave the island, but they flew south instead of west. This amazing show took less than 30 minutes from the first vocalizations to the last flock leaving. What an amazing thing to witness! We arrived back in Gainesville this evening,  welcomed enthusiastically by the pups.