I know that for those of us in northern climes complaining about the heat at this time of year, when we are dead sick of winter, seems excessive. Nevertheless I discovered in Florida that mornings and evenings are the best times to be active and outdoors. Noon until about five in the afternoon is a good time for a siesta. So…

As we were looking birds at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and it was nearing noon, TC and I came upon this pair of very sleepy white ibises (Eudocimus albus) sitting in a tree. They could barely keep their eyes open to watch me warily. I was reminded immediately of John Tenniel’s “The Dodo” from Lewis Carol’s Alice in Wonderland. Perhaps it is that they seemed to have smiles on there faces. In fact, like Alice I felt just a bit bratty in the heat. I wondered what would happen if I started, like Alice, talking to these birds. “The best way to explain it is to do it.”

For me this pair is truly memorable of my trip. And if you look closely you will notice what I noticed only after I “worked up” the photographs. Ibises have beautiful blue eyes. How delightful.

Canon T2i with 100-440 f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM Lens at 300 mm, ISO 400, Aperture Priority AE Mode, 1/400th sec at f?7.1 with no exposure compensation.