“I Didn’t Order The Oysters!”
This afternoon I was watching an egret fishing in the salt marsh. At one point he came up with a nice fish but I noticed he also scooped something else to go along with his fish. I realized it was half an oyster shell. Maybe the egret was annoyed that someone else had already beaten him to the oyster, because he promptly sent it back. He certainly seemed quite pleased with his main course however, as it was cheerfully consumed and clearly there would be no leftovers!
Phil Lanoue Photography 
Swallowing the fish whole, that was amazing.
Those fish are still wriggling when they go down and have to be alive for quite a while I suspect. 😯
Great photo set. That is really cool seeing the oyster shell dropping from his mouth.
Thanks very much Jeff, I appreciate it.
Fabulous! How you managed to get both the eye of the egret and the eye of the fish in perfect focus, I will never know!
Thanks Laurie, so glad you liked these. I try to keep the whole head along with the fish in focus if I can and let the bird’s body go OOF if necessary. 🙂
A very articulated beak! 😉
That beak must be more sensitive then we would think. I’m not sure how it managed to drop the shell and hold on to the fish.
Maybe it is a little miracle?
Yes but not for the fish 😯
Another totally amazing sequence. i’m beginning to get an idea of how they manage to maneuver the fish into their mouths. And the catch of the dropping oyster shell is just that extra perfect touch!
Yes they do somehow manage to position the fish so it’s head is pointed down the throat. The other direction would cause the fins to cut the bird’s mouth I expect.
I was happy I caught the shell falling, added a nice touch.
Stunning photo’s, excellent job Phil.
Thanks so much Jan!
It always amazes me the size of prey they can swallow. Good sequence, Phil.
Even though I have seen it many times I too continue to be impressed by the size of some of these things they get down.
For a bird with such a large, strong beak, it uses such finesse in dropping the shell. I know people who don’t have such good table manners as that!
I was surprised it managed to drop the shell but hold onto the fish. Yes not just very skilled but nicely mannered as well. 🙂
Bon apetit Mr Egret 😉 … But i feel sorry for the little fish … Stunning photo serie // Maria
It’s true, sometimes we do feel bad for the fish. Especially since it has to be alive for quite a while after being swallowed.
Thanks Maria
Cute! I guess the fish was enough or maybe he started with oysters and hadn’t cleared away. Very nice sequence as always Phil.
Those oysters can make a nice starter but I suspect Mr. Egret wanted to move straight to the main course.
That’s great photography but so the storyline! 🙂
Thanks much, glad you enjoyed it!
Wonderful catches all around. Imagine how annoyed he would have been with a side salad.
This bird has no interest in a side salad at all and even wants to skip the starter and get right to the main course. 🙂
Brilliant!!!
Thank you Paula! 🙂
Your photos are amazing. I feel as if I’m right there watching that perfect little fish get devoured.
Although I have seen fish successfully get away, they often do not stand a chance against birds like the egrets and herons. Bad day for Mr. Fish for sure.
Thanks Deb!
visiting your blog is like death in the afternoon – comment via save the fish society 🙂
Those fish might need a better political lobby to possibly help advance their cause because otherwise it’s a rough marsh out there!
Wonderful pictures!
Thanks so much I appreciate it!
WOW, WOW, WOW – love the shots, especially the last one with the fish going down the hatch!
I love oysters, so given a choice between the oyster or the fish, I personally would choose the oyster.
Thanks a million, so glad you enjoyed these photos! I too would choose an oyster over a fish. Especially a live fish still wriggling on it’s way down. 😯
So outstanding Phil ! Each photo is so spectacular. The eyes in the first one of both the egret and the fish are spectacular. And the oyster shell dropping is spot on stop action.
Thank you very much Emily! What I found interesting about this scene was how the egret was so focused on maintaining a hold on the fish while trying to drop the oyster shell. Notice how his legs never move until after dropping the shell and then turning to swallow the fish?!
Great title for great shots Phil!
Thank you Lucy, I greatly appreciate it!