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Sandhill cranes cavorting

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Cavorting a bit more vigorously

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Strutting with style

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Getting a bit too excited

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A gang of white ibises took over this street. They grudgingly moved to get out of the way of our car, but just barely.

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Eying us warily

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lineup

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Coming in for a landing

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swimming pelican

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four different pelican poses

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manatee portrait

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A great blue heron fishing in the canal

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The great blue heron wasn't bothered by the manatee swimming past

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A traffic jam of manatees

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Caked with mud. Occasionally manatees open their big nostrils to breathe but otherwise they are firmly shut.

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Another view of the manatees hunkering in the warmest spot they could find. Manatees do not do well in cold weather and it was unseasonably cold. They seemed to be doing ok, though.

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This manatee used its flippers to pull up next to others and nibble/groom.

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They appeared to like the water flowing from these small pipes bringing runoff from neighboring homes. Hopefully this is clean water.

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Because manatees are herbivores they pose no threat to the schools of fish around them--and probably provide sustenance to the little fish. Note the giant scar on this manatee. Many of them are deeply scarred from runins with boats :(

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Peg, Dick, and a pile of manatees

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G&B&manatees

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crawlin' along the botton

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Someone was apparently looking for a belly rub.

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pelican town hall meeting

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G, all bundled up, running on the beach to stay warm.