Fish Alert!
Well…yesterday evening in the salt marsh started out quietly enough. There were a few birds waiting around for the tide to start coming in bringing fish along with it. But then the snowy egret got the whole place in an uproar when it spotted one decent sized fish that was trying to make it’s way along a narrow channel of water between the oyster beds. The snowy, in his excitement over seeing the fish, announced it to the entire marsh by running and dancing around wildly in an attempt to capture the fish! This is the universal signal to other birds that somebody found something really good and it might just be available for the taking. The closest competitor in this case was a great egret who quickly snatched up the fish before anyone else could get there!
The egret then spotted trouble coming which was a great blue heron. The egret also knew the heron could take the fish if he didn’t act immediately. Wading birds like this egret don’t often fly with their catch, they generally take their time with a fish. But this egret knew it had no time at all because the great blue was closing in rapidly so…the egret took off with it’s prize, landing among the oyster beds where it did the quickest gulp in history to get the fish down before the heron could take it! The great blue meanwhile…realizing it had lost a prime opportunity, displayed it’s frustration and displeasure with this very impressive posturing pose. We were all duly impressed…but the egret did end up with the fish!
Phil Lanoue Photography 
Superb! Guess egrets or any other bird for that matter, don’t get to really taste their fish judging by your picture before last. These really are beautiful birds. That’s some post the heron is pulling.
Thanks very much! Yes, those fish generally go down quick once properly positioned for head down swallow!
The fish are also alive at the time. 😯
THe GBH was ticked!
Phil – am rather fond of the egret but at the end of the photo story, the blue has my sympathy! Poor baby – his posturing certainly shows what is on his mind. Thank you for sharing. As usual, your bird (and gators) pics are unique and beautiful.
Oh yeah Judi that heron was noooot happy. There was another GBH there too and they almost started really going at it because they both missed out on the fish.
Thanks very much for looking!
A great series. The fith picture is absolutely impressive.
Thanks very much I appreciate the kind comment!
Do you ever take a bad photo, Phil? 🙂 Great story in pics. Sorry for the Blue Heron. 🙂
Thanks a million for the kind words and I’m happy you enjoyed seeing the saga! 🙂
Well the blue heron will make up for it in the long run I’m sure. They more often then not come out on the winning side!
Grazie *°* Ciao
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Grazie Nancy
Wow! I love the contrast in colour in the top two pics 🙂
Thanks! Glad you like those!
Wow ! Such amazing shots..and with the fish? Fantastic!
Thank you for the kind comments! 🙂
Wonderfully captures, Phil.
I appreciate it Mike!
Very good !
Merci beaucoup Jean-Paul !
Amazing captures as always! The Great Egret is a beautiful and interesting creature isn’t it? Lovely to see it captured so splendidly. Have a great day!
Thanks Mitzi! We see the great egrets fairly frequently so I have a tendency to take them for granted, but they are beautiful and graceful birds.
Your narration is almost as good as the photos. My mind’s eye could see the events unfolding before I saw the pictures, which are, as usual, outstanding!
Oh that’s great Molly, that’s how I hoped it would be percieved. These events took place exactly how I described and the photos are all presented in the proper time frame of those events. It’s just that since I didn’t have all the birds pictured together in one frame I didn’t know if it would all make sense or not. Glad to hear that it does!
Thanks much!
Great story! Nice catch on the great eating the fish. I love that great blue pose at the end.
Thanks very much Dina! That GBH was rather amusing. There were two doing a pose-off together at one point. 🙂
wonderful bird in flight shots so cool
Thanks very much for looking and I appreciate the kind words!
Phil, all your pictures are phenomenol. I love all these birds and your posts make each and every day for me. Just lovely…..
I greatly appreciate your kind comments! So glad you enjoy the bird photos!
I’m heading out to the marsh shortly…maybe I’ll find something interesting tonight. 🙂
That’s a lot of fuss over a fish – it’s not like they haven’t seen it before! Great pictures/story again.
Half the fun in going out trying to get wildlife photos is observing their behavior. Sometimes all it takes is one fish and the whole crowd goes crazy!
Thanks for looking!
What a fantastic backstory and images to accompany it!!! You’re right…. The egrets really do take their sweet time. I love how the great blue tried to bully his way in to the scene, heh. So often I see different egret/heron species shadowing each other in the hopes of fish, sometimes with luck, sometimes without. The annoyance on the part of the fishing bird is palpable…
Well that’s often how an egret will lose a fish to a GBH or a wood stork, it takes the egrets a bit of time to get a large fish positioned properly for head down swallowing and this gives the other bird time to get over and possibly steal thee fish. We have seen GBHs lose fish to bald eagles who will lurk in a tree hoping for an opportunity.
These guys in this series really did get in a whole huge fuss over the one fish though. Too much…:-)
The intent, and power in that bird stepping, no striking forward – a miracle of movement and yes, like a dancer doing the passo doble, or flamenco.
Thanks very much for checking out these photos and I greatly appreciate your thoughful comments!
My pleasure, I can still see that shot as though I were looking at the screen right now 🙂
I felt a little sorry for the great blue heron. But rightfully the snowy egret pravailed. Beautiful photos of the snowy egret such lines, it really is gorgous bird.
Well that GBH will make up for it in the future I’m sure. Glad you enjoyed these photos and happy to know you like the birds! 🙂
These are fabulous.
I was at the Ottawa River this morning and there were 5 Great Egrets there, and of course I didn’t have the proper lens with me…
My strength is certainly not wildlife photography, I admire your abilities, Phil!
Thanks a lot for looking at these photos and also for your very nice comments!
Glad you saw some egrets, they are cool birds. I’m sure you will have the perfect conditions one day and get terrific photos of them.
WOW!
Hey thanks!!
This is everything, I mean art, nature, photograph, poetry, story,… Your photography fascinating me always and I fall in love with this series… Great shots. Thank you dear Phil, love, nia
Wow! Thank you Nia for all your very kind comments! I’m so glad you enjoy seeing these photos!
Reblogged this on photographyofnia and commented:
This is everything I mean, art, nature, photograph, poetry, story,….etc.
Thanks Nia for the reblog, I greatly apppreciate your interest and kindness about my photos!
Cheers
Phil
Incredible captures.
Thanks very much for looking and I greatly appreciate the comment!