“What Is That Thing?!”

This morning in the swamp I saw these two moorhens come strolling along on the edge of the water looking to pick at their usual breakfast of aquatic plants which they seem to find quite appealing. They quickly noticed however a large, somewhat unusual item floating there in the water. The moorhens paced about nervously for a few moments attempting to ascertain what this odd thing might be. But they must have concluded that it was nothing to be overly concerned about because they just as quickly went right back to their usual foraging.

Our pal Mr. Alligator was completely uninterested and ignored the moorhens the entire time. He obviously had more important things on his mind which no doubt included finding a comfy spot in the sun for his daily nap!

40 thoughts on ““What Is That Thing?!””

janmasyn on March 11, 2013 at 3:00 pm said:

Very nice Phil, they just don’t seem to care at all. 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on March 11, 2013 at 6:59 pm said:
  
  Thanks Jan and yes they are in their own little world. 🙂
  
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lylekrahn on March 11, 2013 at 3:02 pm said:

Wonderful reflections of the birds.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 11, 2013 at 7:00 pm said:
  
  Who cares about the stupid birds what about Mr. Gator?!? 😉 😀
  
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  - lylekrahn on March 12, 2013 at 3:22 am said:
    
    Funny.
    
    I thot Mr. Gator had checked out!
    
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    - Phil Lanoue on March 12, 2013 at 10:20 am said:
      
      Mr. Gator never completely checks out, he is always *somewhere*. 😯
      
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Gracie on March 11, 2013 at 3:17 pm said:

Very nice shot, Phil!
It’s good to know they can co-exist like this.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 11, 2013 at 7:01 pm said:
  
  Thanks Gracie, yes for now everybody gets along fine. Give them aother month or so and thing could change. 😯
  
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Molly Argo on March 11, 2013 at 3:46 pm said:

Very charming photos. I love how the animals can all sense when the Gators are not a threat to them.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 11, 2013 at 7:02 pm said:
  
  Yeah that is kind of funny and odd how that happens. You would still think the birds would stay away just on principle, but who knows? 😕 🙂
  
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dinajohnston on March 11, 2013 at 4:24 pm said:

Love the reflections. Those red noses pop!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 11, 2013 at 7:02 pm said:
  
  Thanks! Yes gotta love those colorful beaks. 🙂
  
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pixelspielerei on March 11, 2013 at 4:42 pm said:

Great! They simply don’t care about Mr. Alligator! 😉

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- Phil Lanoue on March 11, 2013 at 7:03 pm said:
  
  Thanks! No they don’t care about Mr. Gator and more importantly he doesn’t care about them. Well for now anyway.
  
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  - pixelspielerei on March 11, 2013 at 7:58 pm said:
    
    Peace to Peace – that’s a great combination!
    
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    - Phil Lanoue on March 12, 2013 at 10:20 am said:
      
      They have managed to work it out at least until summer. 🙂
      
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Cowboys and Crossbones on March 11, 2013 at 5:49 pm said:

Amazing photos! If alligators eat people, why are they not interested in the birds? I love that this situation had a happy outcome!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 11, 2013 at 7:04 pm said:
  
  Well alligators don’t really eat people. They may occasionally chew on one or two, but that’s only if the people really deserved it. 😀
  Thanks for checking these out!
  
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  - Cowboys and Crossbones on March 12, 2013 at 11:01 am said:
    
    Oh of course. Very cool pics! So you’re saying that I don’t have to run too fast if I encounter an alligator? I’m holding you accountable!
    
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    - Phil Lanoue on March 12, 2013 at 11:12 am said:
      
      It helps if you run in a sort of zig zag pattern, this confuses the alligators and they are mostly only good at running in straight lines anyway. I expect being half (or maybe 3/4) bagged should help, that way you would pretty much already be running in a sort of wobbly line. 😮
      
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      - Cowboys and Crossbones on March 12, 2013 at 5:10 pm said:
        
        Oh being half bagged will definitely be going on, so if I encounter an alligator, I’m golden!! Woohoo!
        
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        Phil Lanoue on March 13, 2013 at 9:07 am said:
        
        I like the way you think… be prepared and plan ahead. 😀
        
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Sid Dunnebacke on March 11, 2013 at 9:23 pm said:

Live and let live, eh?

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- Phil Lanoue on March 12, 2013 at 10:21 am said:
  
  Well sure why not? Well, until the alligators get really hungry by end of Spring into Summer. 😯 🙂
  
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Bella Remy Photography on March 11, 2013 at 9:51 pm said:

They’re such little cuties.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 12, 2013 at 10:22 am said:
  
  Yes and the birds are kinda cute too. 🙂
  
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niasunset on March 12, 2013 at 3:22 am said:

Mr. Gator everytime seems much more symphatic to me 🙂 Look how peaceful their world… I can’t believe this. But if I were there in the water, I wonder what would be with Mr. Gator!
Your photographs are amazing, so beautiful, so artistic, fascinated me again. Thank you dear Phil, love, nia

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- Phil Lanoue on March 12, 2013 at 10:25 am said:
  
  Well sure you have to love happy Mr. Gator! He is a great guy and lots of fun at parties! 😉 😀
  Thank you so much for all your very kind words Nia I greatly appreciate it.
  
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Chillbrook on March 12, 2013 at 4:11 am said:

Cute series Phil. Always had a soft spot for moorhens. 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on March 12, 2013 at 10:26 am said:
  
  Well the moorhens are OK I guess but how about everybody’s pal Mr. Alligator?! You gotta love him right?! 😀
  Thanks much Adrian!
  
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adinparadise on March 12, 2013 at 12:53 pm said:

Fantastic pics again, Phil. I love the way those birds are peering down at the alligator, in the second shot, as if they’re wondering what sort of big fish he is. 😀

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- Phil Lanoue on March 13, 2013 at 9:01 am said:
  
  They do look quite inquisitive don’t they?! 🙂
  Thanks a bunch Sylvia!
  
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Maggie Davey on March 12, 2013 at 2:31 pm said:

It never ceases to be an amazing experience, watching the interaction between species. The more I see, the more I want to! Thank you, Phil!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 13, 2013 at 9:02 am said:
  
  Well I am so happy you enjoy seeing the various wildlife interactions Maggie. That is probably my favorite part of wildlife photography!
  
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FeyGirl on March 12, 2013 at 11:00 pm said:

Those moorhens always get strangely close….!!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 13, 2013 at 9:03 am said:
  
  Yes they sure do, and they are kind of goofy birds so it really makes you wonder what they are thinking.
  
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Andrew on March 15, 2013 at 12:22 am said:

Lucky they found Ali on an off day!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 15, 2013 at 10:52 am said:
  
  Yes indeed he was having an off day. but once it warms up a bit more he should be getting hungry and that’s when all bets are off. 🙂
  
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Dusty Roads on March 15, 2013 at 8:41 pm said:

Nice series. I especially like the 2nd picture with the moorhens staring at Mr. Gator and the nice clear reflections.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 16, 2013 at 3:52 pm said:
  
  Thanks very much for looking and commenting and I’m happy you enjoyed these photos!
  
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