Anhingas Fishing

Yesterday afternoon I was watching these two anhingas fishing in the marsh pond. The anhinga is a water bird that fishes by swimming under water and spearing a fish on the end of it’s very sharp bill. When it surfaces with the fish impaled, it will flip the fish off it’s bill into mid air and then open it’s mouth wide to catch the fish as it plummets down toward the anhinga’s waiting throat.

An anhinga fishing is my favorite bird action to view, and it is also one of the most challenging wildlife behaviors for me to photograph. These birds can surface almost anywhere and to spot it and lock on focus and hopefully get the patented anhinga ‘fish flip’ captured as it happens can be tough. For anyone wishing to see more photos of these amazing birds in action please feel free to check out the Anhinga Photos gallery at the top of my blog.

66 thoughts on “Anhingas Fishing”

thehappyhugger on April 25, 2013 at 11:55 am said:

I’ve never seen anything like them before. Great shots, Phil.

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- Phil Lanoue on April 26, 2013 at 10:33 am said:
  
  Thanks! They are amazing birds.
  
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niasunset on April 25, 2013 at 11:59 am said:

You always capture what we haven’t seen before… So beautiful, so beautiful… Thank you, love, nia

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- Phil Lanoue on April 26, 2013 at 10:34 am said:
  
  Thank you Nia, I’m happy you enjoy seeing some different birds!
  
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Connie Starner on April 25, 2013 at 12:03 pm said:

WOW!! You outdid yourself on these Phil!! Amazing shots!! Absolutely love looking at all of your pics!! Hope you guys are doing well. I’m kind of having Huntington Beach withdrawal. Chilly weather just wants to keep hanging on!! Hope to see you soon!!

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- Phil Lanoue on April 26, 2013 at 10:34 am said:
  
  Thanks very much Connie, I really appreciate you looking and commenting!
  
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Maggie Davey on April 25, 2013 at 12:46 pm said:

What stunning pictures, Phil! Incredible photography! I still can’t quite make up my mind about Anhingas – they are so reptilian with the body beneath the water – but they are fascinating!

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- Phil Lanoue on April 26, 2013 at 10:35 am said:
  
  I’m glad you like the photos Maggie! These are amazing birds and incredible to watch them fish!
  
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Rexlin Victor on April 25, 2013 at 1:21 pm said:

Great shots!!! I never seen this bird before… Thanks for sharing!!!

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- Phil Lanoue on April 26, 2013 at 10:36 am said:
  
  Thanks very much and I’m glad I was able to show you a different bird!
  
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dinajohnston on April 25, 2013 at 1:25 pm said:

Great action!

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- Phil Lanoue on April 26, 2013 at 10:36 am said:
  
  The anhingas are my favorite bird action to watch and photograph, thanks for looking!
  
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Jim D on April 25, 2013 at 1:26 pm said:

Phil, I love this series! Fantastic shots!

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- Phil Lanoue on April 26, 2013 at 10:37 am said:
  
  Thanks so much Jim, I’m very happy you like them!
  
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pixelspielerei on April 25, 2013 at 1:50 pm said:

Oh, finaly stuffed? 😉

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- Phil Lanoue on April 26, 2013 at 10:37 am said:
  
  That’s exactly right. They fish for a while until stuffed then they have to stand around until their wings dry off.
  
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davidharris518 on April 25, 2013 at 2:06 pm said:

Cool shots!

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- Phil Lanoue on April 26, 2013 at 10:38 am said:
  
  Thanks I appreciate it!
  
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janmasyn on April 25, 2013 at 2:14 pm said:

Amazing shots Phil, very good timing.

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- Phil Lanoue on April 26, 2013 at 10:42 am said:
  
  Thanks very much Jan, glad you enjoyed these photos.
  
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Jon Rista on April 25, 2013 at 2:20 pm said:

Excellent shots! Love the clarity. It is amazing, with those delicate looking necks, that those birds can guzzle down fish all day long. 😉

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- Phil Lanoue on April 26, 2013 at 10:43 am said:
  
  Thanks so much, and yes these guys are experts at fishing. They really have their technique down perfectly.
  
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HansHB on April 25, 2013 at 2:52 pm said:

Awesome shots!

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- Phil Lanoue on April 26, 2013 at 10:43 am said:
  
  Thanks very much Hans!
  
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roughseasinthemed on April 25, 2013 at 2:53 pm said:

Superb. I have no more to say (for once!)

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- Phil Lanoue on April 26, 2013 at 10:43 am said:
  
  Thanks much I truly appreciate you looking and commenting!
  
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theforagingphotographer on April 25, 2013 at 4:51 pm said:

Phil these are absolutely spectacular! Astonishing clarity and you’ve really caught a rare moment.

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- Phil Lanoue on April 26, 2013 at 10:44 am said:
  
  Thank you Lucy, I really enjoy watching these guys fish and if they catch and flip a fish even better! 🙂
  
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Cowboys and Crossbones on April 25, 2013 at 5:40 pm said:

Whoa! I bet you Jack wishes he could do that with a fish! Great shots – I always learn something new everyday from you, Phil!

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- Phil Lanoue on April 26, 2013 at 10:45 am said:
  
  Jack would prefer I do all the fish flipping around here. Why needlessly waste energy when he can get me to do it?!
  Thanks a bunch for looking!
  
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enmanscamera on April 25, 2013 at 6:48 pm said:

Ok, I only ned to say….wow! Excellent photographs that I am glad I took the time to stop by and view.

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- Phil Lanoue on April 26, 2013 at 10:46 am said:
  
  Thanks so much for the kind words and I really appreciate you looking and commenting!
  
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Deb W. Trotter on April 25, 2013 at 8:46 pm said:

Amazing shots! And what a strange looking bird. It appears waterlogged, with only its stick-like neck visible above the water.

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- Phil Lanoue on April 26, 2013 at 10:47 am said:
  
  Thanks much! They are sort of waterlogged once they get wet. Although these birds earn their living in the water, they are not waterproof. They must stand around for quite a while once done fishing and dry off their wings and body.
  
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elizz on April 25, 2013 at 9:58 pm said:

those are superb shots phil.. thanks for sharing 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on April 26, 2013 at 10:48 am said:
  
  Thank you very much for stopping by and I’m glad you liked these photos!
  
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Rick Alonzo Photography on April 25, 2013 at 11:07 pm said:

Great job Phil! Lovely shots!

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- Phil Lanoue on April 26, 2013 at 10:48 am said:
  
  Thank you Rick I appreciate it!
  
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lylekrahn on April 26, 2013 at 1:16 am said:

You really out did yourself on this one. Absolutely amazing.

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- Phil Lanoue on April 26, 2013 at 10:51 am said:
  
  Thanks very much, I really enjoy watching and (trying) to photograph these birds. I could have had more shots but got distracted three times while watching them. Once when someone stopped to ask me about camera gear, you know how much I love that. Once when a gust of wind blew my tripod (without camera) over, and once when I saw all the snowys scatter and knew why, an eagle came swooping in. At all these times the anhinga caught a fish at the exact moment I looked away.
  
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  - lylekrahn on April 26, 2013 at 12:03 pm said:
    
    Murphy’s law again.
    
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Chillbrook on April 26, 2013 at 1:44 am said:

This series is just incredible Phil. Fantastic stuff.

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- Phil Lanoue on April 26, 2013 at 10:52 am said:
  
  Thanks a million Adrian I appreciate it!
  
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Gunta on April 26, 2013 at 3:04 am said:

Utterly amazing!

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- Phil Lanoue on April 26, 2013 at 10:52 am said:
  
  I’m really glad you enjoyed these!
  
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Andrew on April 26, 2013 at 4:05 am said:

Super photos, Phil. The benefits of a fast motor drive or fps rate, I suspect but you still have to get exposure and composition right. Congratulations.

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- Phil Lanoue on April 26, 2013 at 10:54 am said:
  
  Thanks a bunch Andrew, and yes even at 8 fps these guys are super fast and they move and shake their heads around the whole time while trying to flip the fish. It’s challenging but fun.
  Feel free to check out the Anhinga Photos gallery at the top of the blog to see more of these guys in action.
  
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circuitousjourney on April 26, 2013 at 6:29 am said:

WOW!

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- Phil Lanoue on April 26, 2013 at 10:54 am said:
  
  Hey thanks for checking these out!
  
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adinparadise on April 26, 2013 at 10:58 am said:

Your photography is so amazing, Phil. I really enjoyed these superb shots. Well done! 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on April 26, 2013 at 12:25 pm said:
  
  Thanks very much Sylvia so glad you enjoyed these photos and I appreciate your kind comments!
  
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Bella Remy Photography on April 26, 2013 at 6:28 pm said:

This is a stunning series Phil ! I’m so amazed how crisp they are.

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- Phil Lanoue on April 27, 2013 at 12:24 pm said:
  
  Thanks much for the kind words Emily!
  
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Susan Sohl on April 26, 2013 at 9:44 pm said:

Wow Phil, perfect pictures!

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- Phil Lanoue on April 27, 2013 at 12:24 pm said:
  
  Thanks Sue, glad you like them!
  
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FeyGirl on April 27, 2013 at 10:15 am said:

I adore seeing these guys fish, tossing their meals into the air…. Just lovely!

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- Phil Lanoue on April 27, 2013 at 12:25 pm said:
  
  They are without a doubt my favorite bird action to watch and photograph. Thanks for checking these out!
  
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rabirius on April 27, 2013 at 11:56 am said:

Great series.

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- Phil Lanoue on April 27, 2013 at 12:50 pm said:
  
  Thanks much I appreciate you looking and commenting.
  
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Paula on April 28, 2013 at 5:25 am said:

A beak like chopsticks 😀 how convinient .. Phil, these takes are amazing!!!

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- Phil Lanoue on April 28, 2013 at 4:11 pm said:
  
  They have some sharp beak that’s for sure! Glad you liked these, they are my favorite bird action to watch and photograph.
  
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Fergiemoto on April 29, 2013 at 11:33 am said:

WOW! WAAAAAAAY cool photos! How fortunate to be able to view and capture it enjoying its meal.

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- Phil Lanoue on April 30, 2013 at 10:53 am said:
  
  This is one of my all time favorite things to photograph, glad you like them!
  
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mariayarri on April 29, 2013 at 2:04 pm said:

I never seen anything like this before ! What a fisher he is this Anhinga. // Maria

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- Phil Lanoue on April 30, 2013 at 10:54 am said:
  
  They truly are amazing birds, thanks Maria!
  
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Naresh Ramadurai on May 2, 2013 at 8:58 pm said:

Wow!!! These are some stunning pictures 🙂 Lovely collection !!!!

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