Riparian Preserve - Graphic violence WARNING!!

 After a 4 mile hike on Wednesday Lori and I headed to the Riparian Preserve for a 2 hour stroll around the various ponds on the watch for some good bird shots.  We were there a little later in the afternoon so the sun was a little less intense which made for better light.  One day I need to get here early in the morning when the light is good and the birds might be a little more active. 

Disclosure. The names I assign the various birds is my best guess based on my Arizona Bird book and may or may not be correct.

Turns out we were there for meal time.  
Not sure what was so appetizing about the green slime
but these Snow Geese were enthusiastically slurping it up.

Great Egret

Juvenile Roseate Spoonbill.  Not usually found in Arizona.  
Native to the shores of Texas and Florida on the Gulf of Mexico.

Great Blue Heron.  He stood like this for a long long time.
Slowly moving his head from side to side.
Then in the flash of an eye this happened. 

You can just make out his neck and head below the waters surface.

Dinner time.  Notice his beak stabbed into the fish.

A little patience and a lot of luck got me these shots.  
If only I'd had the camera on burst mode.

He was done for the day.  He flew off to consume his catch.

More Great Egrets.  

American White Pelican

Coming in for a landing.
These guys are pretty active making for good subjects.  

Not sure on this one.  A kingfisher perhaps.
Never moved and was well back in the shrubs.  
Looks like he's sleeping
UPDATE:  a Green Heron, courtesy of one
of my more knowledgeable viewers

Black-crowned Night Heron we think.
Again he was well back in the shrubs.

I was using my 200-600mm lens for these shots and I don't haul the big glass out very often.  Its heavy and I need to use a tripod as I have a difficult time holding it steady.   The Riparian Preserve is a great place to practice a skill set I don't use very often and will have to get back more often.