Dozens of these delicate water birds make the swamplands of Florida their home. During the breeding season, the American White Ibis gather in huge colonies near the water – some of them as large as 30,000 have been counted. Much of their time is spent roosting on trees, where they preen, biting their feathers with their long red bills. That’s what is happening in this image. Three ibis balance their fragile long legs precariously on the thin branches that support their weight. I waited until two of them began to preen, and when the third turned in the same direction as the others, I made this image.