Suspicious Activity

We are visiting my husband's relatives in South Florida where it is quite common to see these birds on the side of the road. When I first spotted this fellow, he was actually in the road. and he turned out to be a very obliging subject.

This is a Giant Egret. "Slightly smaller and more svelte than a Great Blue Heron, these are still large birds with impressive wingspans. They hunt in classic heron fashion, standing immobile or wading through wetlands to capture fish with a deadly jab of their yellow bill."

Our relatives live in a private "gated" community which has its own security perimeter and police force. Today, as I was out walking, I was stopped by the police and very politely questioned about what I was doing with two cameras and why I was taking photos. Apparently one or more of the residents had contacted them about my suspicious activities...after all, I was not playing golf or tennis, so surely I must be up to no good. Feeling rather defensive, I tried to explain that I was just photographing the birds and flowers and had no criminal intent, which seemed to satisfy them. Our hosts were quite upset that this had happened to me, but I assured them that I was getting used to it. This is the second time someone has questioned my motives for taking photos. The other time was in my own neighborhood. It must be my sinister looking face. :-)

SONY ILCE-6000, 160mm, f/8, 1/800s, ISO 500