“Well…My Work Here Is Done!”

Last week the snowy egrets in the salt marsh were acting feisty as usual. I can almost always pick out who the aggressor will be and I know if I concentrate on him I’ll soon see action. When I saw Mr. Troublemaker fly over to jump another snowy who was fishing quietly and minding it’s own business, I suspected it would lead to the incident you see here. An aggravated snowy (and they are quite often aggravated) will chase away another one of his friends that is simply fishing and not creating any problems. The agitator doesn’t at all want that particular fishing spot for himself…he just doesn’t want the one who is currently there to have it!

So what we have at the end is the typical way it turns out. The troublemaker gets his way and after successfully chasing off the other snowy he now has the spot all to himself and will stand alone in triumphant victory for a few moments. But since he never really wanted the spot to begin with, his next move will be to fly over and chase away some other poor bird that is only trying to pick out a meal.

46 thoughts on ““Well…My Work Here Is Done!””

einfachtilda on March 22, 2013 at 12:57 pm said:

In spring or summer, and heat, but with us it is freezing cold I think the photos and your Foos wundervol.

LG Mathilda 😉

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- Phil Lanoue on March 22, 2013 at 8:06 pm said:
  
  Thank you so much Mathilda, I am so happy you like these!
  
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Cowboys and Crossbones on March 22, 2013 at 1:22 pm said:

I love your photos! And in reading this post, I am pretty sure I was a troublemaking egret in a former life. I do this same thing at the bar every Friday night….only it’s over liquor, not fish.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 22, 2013 at 8:09 pm said:
  
  I bet I could spot you easy in a crowd too storming around wreaking mayhem with your head feathers all fluffed up. 😀
  
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Gracie on March 22, 2013 at 1:31 pm said:

Man, he is such a bully!
Excellent action shots, Phil.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 22, 2013 at 8:10 pm said:
  
  Thanks very much Gracie and yes indeed he is the bully of the marsh for sure!
  
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Fergiemoto on March 22, 2013 at 2:24 pm said:

Such cool action shots! I love their head feathers!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 22, 2013 at 8:10 pm said:
  
  Thanks a bunch! Yes those head feathers are generally a sign of trouble. 🙂
  
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janmasyn on March 22, 2013 at 3:19 pm said:

Great shots Phil, the first one is awesome.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 22, 2013 at 8:11 pm said:
  
  Thanks Jan. Yes that first one was the whole reason I decided to go ahead and present the ones after, it was the key shot.
  
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lylekrahn on March 22, 2013 at 3:23 pm said:

Loved the first shot. Just curious how you know who the aggressor will be?

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- Phil Lanoue on March 22, 2013 at 8:13 pm said:
  
  As I mentioned to Jan, I liked that first one too and that’s what made me decide to go with the series.
  When I see one storming around with it’s head feathers all fluffed up that’s a good indication of who the likely troublemaker is going to be.
  
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Garden Walk Garden Talk on March 22, 2013 at 3:30 pm said:

I had to laugh. The bigger bird (maybe because he presents that way) really made a scene. Love how his crown is up and his head tucked. My cockatoo does that when he is ready to rumble. Your photos are great, the action really gets a reaction.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 22, 2013 at 8:14 pm said:
  
  He might be a little bigger, it’s hard to tell with those guys but once those head feathers get all fluffed up you can bet trouble will follow. 🙂
  Thanks I’m glad you enjoyed these!
  
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adinparadise on March 22, 2013 at 4:34 pm said:

That egret is what we call ‘a dog in a manger’. 🙂 Great photos again, Phil. When I saw your title, I thought you were leaving us. Perish the thought. 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on March 22, 2013 at 8:17 pm said:
  
  Yes that snowy sure could be the dog in the manger. 🙂 I’m not going anywhere just yet. Besides, as long as I have all the wacky residents of the marsh to watch I won’t run out of things to photograph.
  
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Amy on March 22, 2013 at 7:45 pm said:

I agree, the first shot is awesome.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 22, 2013 at 8:17 pm said:
  
  Thanks a lot Amy, I like that first one too, and as I mentioned that was the key to the series I felt.
  
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sallywoodphotography on March 22, 2013 at 8:14 pm said:

You really have these guys figured out………. lovely shots!!!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 22, 2013 at 8:19 pm said:
  
  Thanks Sally! And as that noted baseball philosopher Yogi Berra once said…” You can observe a lot by watching ” 🙂
  
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Charlie@Seattle Trekker on March 22, 2013 at 11:24 pm said:

I love the detail you are able to share about this community, and I believe the photos just get better and better.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 23, 2013 at 5:31 pm said:
  
  Thanks very much for your kind comments I truly appreciate it!
  
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Andrew on March 23, 2013 at 12:14 am said:

Excellent photos, Phil. The first is my favourite. Great arrival shot!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 23, 2013 at 5:32 pm said:
  
  Thank you Andrew, yes I’m liking that first one as well!
  
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Chillbrook on March 23, 2013 at 3:42 am said:

I’ve know people like that. Fabulous sequence Phil.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 23, 2013 at 5:32 pm said:
  
  Ha ha don’t we all Adrian?!
  I’m happy you enjoyed these.
  
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circuitousjourney on March 23, 2013 at 7:14 am said:

Dancing in the marsh- great snowy egret choreography!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 23, 2013 at 5:33 pm said:
  
  They have this dance routine down perfect don’t they?! 🙂
  
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monisertel on March 23, 2013 at 12:29 pm said:

Hi Phil,
amazing action shots, great work!!!
Wish you a nice weekend,
moni

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- Phil Lanoue on March 23, 2013 at 5:33 pm said:
  
  Thank you very much moni I appreciate it!
  
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WinstonePhotography on March 23, 2013 at 12:45 pm said:

As always, I love your work. I particularly love how their wings look so delicate in these images, sort of swan like.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 23, 2013 at 5:34 pm said:
  
  I’m very happy you enjoy the photos! They do kind of look like mini swans don’t they? 🙂
  
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  - WinstonePhotography on March 25, 2013 at 3:43 pm said:
    
    They do 🙂
    
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Maggie Davey on March 23, 2013 at 1:20 pm said:

What a bully for such a handsome bird!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 23, 2013 at 5:35 pm said:
  
  Oh he is most certainly the bully of the marsh no doubt about it!
  Thanks for looking Maggie!
  
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mariayarri on March 23, 2013 at 4:24 pm said:

The first shot is great but i kind of like the last one to … For me it´t shows så well, that it is lonely, being on the top …. // Maria

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- Phil Lanoue on March 23, 2013 at 5:37 pm said:
  
  That’s very interesting Maria, the last shot was important to the story I felt and you picked up on that. I think what you said…”it’s lonely being on top” would probably have been a better title for this then what I wrote.
  Thanks for looking and commenting!
  
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theforagingphotographer on March 23, 2013 at 7:04 pm said:

They’re such beautiful birds, Phil – I could watch them all day! You have to wonder how much energy they expend on fighting, though!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 24, 2013 at 12:17 pm said:
  
  We always say the same thing as well, we too wonder how and why they use up what has to be a lot of energy on fights and squabbles. Considering they spend so much time and energy just getting tiny fish and shrimp you would think they would not carry on so but they do.
  
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Molly Argo on March 23, 2013 at 7:25 pm said:

Fantastic photos of these little entertaining beauties!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 24, 2013 at 12:18 pm said:
  
  Thanks Molly and yes the snowys sure can be very entertaining! 🙂
  
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Gatorgirl51 on March 24, 2013 at 8:20 pm said:

Great series….I just love the Snowys!!!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 25, 2013 at 4:21 pm said:
  
  Thank you so much for your visit and I appreciate your very kind comments!
  
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FeyGirl on March 24, 2013 at 8:59 pm said:

Love these guys in their regalia!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 25, 2013 at 4:22 pm said:
  
  They are fun aren’t they?! Thanks! 🙂
  
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Sid Dunnebacke on April 4, 2013 at 10:31 am said:

Too funny! Even in the midst of making trouble, they’re beautiful birds.

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