Just outside of Breaux Bridge is Lake Martin, with a swamp along its southern half which becomes a popular rookery at this time of the year. The swamp is leased and protected by the Nature Conservancy and used by between 10,000 and 20,000 birds, including snowy egrets, roseate hornbills, and dark blue herons.
With half a day leisure between the end of the Elderhostel and our flight back to Pittsburgh, we spent a fascinating morning at Lake Martin. This picture was taken with my new digital video camera, using its still picture mode.

The rookery was a joy, the camera is a deep disappointment and is being returned to the store. In the video mode, it jams after 20 seconds of taping and has to be rested (with battery removed) to reset and run again - for possibly another 20 seconds.