In May 2016 I, along with 5 other amateur photographers made our way to Lafayette, about 60 miles SW of Baton Rouge. I was on yet another photo workshop. This one was with Gordon and Cathy Illg - the same professional photographer couple with whom I had gone to New Mexico the previous December. 

White Heron taking off as we approached. Rather than reinvent the wheel the following is taken from a blog written by Gordon himself - he can describe the scene much better than I. (His website is:  http://www.advenphoto.com/)

"This part of Louisiana is a watery maze of flooded cypress, tupelo and buttonbush forests, and its one of the most fecund ecosystems in the world. The biodiversity and sheer amount of life swimming, crawling, flying, buzzing over and through the water is one of the great natural wonders on this planet..... There's definitely no shortage of wildlife to photograph here, especially wading birds. Some of the largest rookeries (maybe the largest) in the country are in this part of the country. We cruised for miles surrounded by nests - mostly cattle egrets, snowy egrets, little blue herons, white ibis, and white faced ibis - some nests full of chicks of varying ages, some with only eggs, and some with both. 

The photography is not particularly easy. The birds are tolerant enough, but between the low light, the messy environment" and the movement of the boat getting decent photos was a challenge. The above photo was taken at Mills Lake one early, misty morning; the white heron took off as we slowly approached in our boat. (There were three boats in total, each with two photographers and the driver).

Atchafalaya Lake was another beautiful lake that we spent most of the day photographing from our boats.

 The combination of mist, water, cyprus tree forsts was quite magical (right). Occasionally we would see an alligator slowly swimming across the lake, their noses and eyes just above the water line. More often we would see an ibis or heron or roseatte spoonbill gently flying low over the water.

Later, again on Atchafalaya Lake we enjoyed the spectacle of watching Ospreys guarding their nests in between times of hunting for fish. These graceful birds of prey made a distinctive calling sound, which our boat drivers - who knew the lakes like the back of their hands - could mimic. The photo below shows an Osprey landing on its nest. These nests would be made on the top of isolated trees in the middle of the lake. The wildlife, and enchanting scenery afforded yet another opportunity for all of us to experience the amazing variety and beauty of God's creation!