Auduboners act out aerial artistry

I guess it should not have surprised me to see an Ibis zoom through the sky on a slow descent to it's roost for the night. It's just that I had never seen one from so far below. I had only seen them take short chip shots across a water hazard or the like, usually to get away from me.

But this was the Audubon Park rookery, as sun down was slowly turning down the dimmer. What were near-empty trees just a half an hour ago, were filling up as Ibis, ducks and egrets came zooming in to claim their spot on the branches that had not been damaged by Gustav.

Some slid across the sky alone, like this guy. But most came in waves, picking up friends as they traced the wend of the lagoon toward the rookery island. The waves would drop to the deck near a stand of their friends on branches along the lagoon, and then zoom back up to strafing height. As they then performed a slow descent toward the island and would spot the reflection off my lens, they would do a quick roll, dive quickly toward the inky water and zip around the far side of the island and into the safety of the trees.

It is hard to shoot in that dwindling light, but I had no idea how much activity went on at dusk. I stayed way too long -- into the mosquito hour.

--steve buser