Resourseful Anhinga
This morning started out with heavy rain but during a break between showers, we decided to go check out the marsh and see if anything was happening. There were quite a few alligators out swimming around which we expected. They always seem to like coming out after a rain for a swim in the nice fresh water. We also saw several anhingas flying around and I hoped one or two might drop in for some morning fishing which can be exciting and entertaining. The anhingas wisely prefer to pick out a spot in the pond to fish that is free of gators. I know just the corner that they like and sure enough one hopped in to start fishing. We saw it catch a few fish, including this one, so it was a successful morning for the resourceful anhinga!
Phil Lanoue Photography 
Fantastic Phil!
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Thanks a million Edith!
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This anhinga reminds me of a turkey, seeing its feathers under the water. Great shots! And, I don’t think this was in my reader – FYI.
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I take that back. Just came into my WP reader! 🙂
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Ok great, good to know that things just might be back to normal.
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Good eye to spot that, another name for the anhinga is turkey bird (or something like that).
Thanks for checking out these pics!
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Well, looky there! I ‘knew’ something about nature and didn’t even know it…!
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Oh absolutely. But here’s the good part…some day (it will happen) you will be out with friends at maybe a park or seashore area and this crazy looking bird with a long neck and fanned out tail feathers will pop up out of the water with a fish. All your friends will ask…’what the heck is that thing?!’ Only they won’t say “heck”.
And you will casually reply (with a look on your face like Duh, doesn’t everybody know that?) ‘Oh that’s an anhinga, otherwise known as a water turkey.’ And your friends will blink at you with amazement like you just won Jeopardy for the third straight night.
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Oh you are SO spot on with that scenario! I can’t wait for it to happen. So much so that I will now be stalking an anhinga to look Jeopardy smart in front of friends!
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Very cool shots. Now you see fish…now you don’t!
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Thanks, yes the fish goes down quick!
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Beautiful shots Phil. In a class of your own!
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I really appreciate your very kind comments Adrian!
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So great to see the anhinga in action, Phil. Marvellous shots. He’s a great fisherman. 🙂
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So glad you enjoyed these photos Sylvia! This one was quite good at catching fish, it helped there were no alligators in the immediate area to make the bird nervous.
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What a graceful neck in the first shot. Great series. Love those red eyes!
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They are cool looking birds aren’t they? And fun to watch too!
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Love the underwater “turkey” feathers. Great photo – are these birds related to egrets or herons? They look like they could be cousins
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That’s why I was happy to get kind of straight on shots of this one, so that the tail feathers were visible behind it.
The anhinga would be more closely related to a cormorant as they have similar fishing styles and are both water birds that need to dry off after fishing.
But the anhinga is technically in a bird family all it’s own.
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Well this is a first for me…I have never see an anhinga. The pink tones under its beak…beautiful. I have a feeling I will learn alot more in the future on this blog concerning wildlife my friend.
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I am glad I was able to present a first for you! Also glad you enjoyed these photos.
For many more anhinga photos feel free to check out my anhinga gallery here:
https://phillanoue.com/anhingas/
And their category of blog posts, with different photos here:
https://phillanoue.com/category/anhingas/
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Super action shots Phil, excellent job.
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Thanks much Jan, I appreciate it!
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Down the hatch. Well caught indeed! I was surprised at the half submerged feathers and body. Not quite floating, only half sinking?
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Yes that fish went down quite nicely although earlier it caught a fish that got stuck in it’s throat for a while. Looked very uncomfortable to say the least. I think that fish went down sideways rather then head first.
They fish by swimming completely under the water, but when they come up with a fish you can see those tail feathers fan out.
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I think it is cool too seeing those tail feathers spread out behind the bird!!
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Thanks I thought so too, that’s why I was happy to get these straight on shots where you can really see how those tail feathers fan out.
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I like the way you can see his feathers through the water. You don’t see that often. Nice catch!
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Thank you, yes I was glad it surfaced with the fish facing me like that so I could see it’s tail feathers fanned out. So often I see shots of anhingas and cormorants showing only the backs of their heads since they face away from me mostly.
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The wings and feathers showing through in the water made the photos so special. Very cool!
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Thank you Amy I am happy you enjoyed that aspect of these photos, I like that too! 🙂
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Stunning !
Another series of fantastic shots , Phil !
Congrats !
utham
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Thanks very much for the kind words utham I appreciate it!
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I like that front view.
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Yeah I like that too, so often they come up facing away from me and I get only back of head shots.
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I love the way you have caught the plumage below the surface – great pictures, as usual!
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Thanks so much for checking out these photos Maggie and I’m happy you enjoyed seeing the anhinga!
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Sorry, meant to add – that gives it a new dimention, love it!
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Those necks expand! Great sequence of images. Pays to be at the right place and time. Knowing it like you do is the way to photograph. I always love your bird photos.
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It never fails to amaze me how some of these birds that look like they have such skinny necks can get down fish so quickly.
Thanks a bunch for your very kind comments and I’m glad you enjoy the bird photos!
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Well, now I know what I’ve been missing!! These are amazing! And who the heck (only I didn’t say ‘heck’ in my head) knew about water turkeys???
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Heh heh 😆 Well I’m thrilled you enjoyed the ‘heck’ out of these photos! 😀
And yeah, water turkeys, who knew?!? 😯
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I love the bird’s feathers fanning out just under the water’s surface behind where the action is taking place! Great shots, Phil.
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Thanks a million Deb, so glad you enjoyed these!
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What should I say? Fantastic pics. 🙂
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Well that is very nice of you to say, thanks!
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I’d go fishing with him
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These guys are unreal, I was watching more this morning and continue to be impressed by their skill.
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Amazing to see the feathers spread out under the water. Great shots.
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They are amazing birds Lucy! Thanks for looking!
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Wow, those are fantastic photos!
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Hey thanks! Glad you like them!
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No escape for the fish now.
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