Anhinga Fly And Fish

Recently I grabbed these shots of an anhinga as it flew past the tree line and then swooped down looking for a spot to land along the edge of the marsh pond. Once settled in and satisfied with his base of operations, the anhinga hopped into the water and did what he does best…spearing a fish dinner!

36 thoughts on “Anhinga Fly And Fish”

The Dancing Rider on July 6, 2013 at 4:09 pm said:

He’s (or she) is BEAUtiful. How I love the focused eyes upon the catch!

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on July 7, 2013 at 12:50 pm said:
  
  They are amazing brids for sure! Thanks for checking these out!
  
  Reply ↓
Deb W. Trotter on July 6, 2013 at 4:54 pm said:

Hey thanks Phil. Great shots. Nice to see what an anhinga in flight looks like! Now I wish you could identify the fish they catch for dinner. 🙂 Seems they like a variety of types?!?!

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on July 7, 2013 at 12:52 pm said:
  
  I’m really happy you enjoyed these anhinga pics Deb! Yes they do catch several different varieties of fish, I believe this one is a small “Spot” but not 100% positive.
  
  Reply ↓
pixelspielerei on July 6, 2013 at 5:05 pm said:

The fish looks quite startled! 😛 Nice shots! ▲

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on July 7, 2013 at 12:52 pm said:
  
  Oh I bet that fish was more then a little startled. 😯 Bad day for the fish, good day for the bird.
  
  Reply ↓
Maggie Davey on July 6, 2013 at 6:30 pm said:

I So that’s what an Anhinga looks like in flight – very impressive! I love the detail of this bird against the background. These shots are beautiful, Phil!

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on July 7, 2013 at 12:54 pm said:
  
  Thank you Maggie and I’m glad to hear you liked seeing the flight photos of the anhinga. I have many photos in my files of anhingas fishing but surprisingly few flight shots that’s a big reason why I thought it a good idea to post these up here. 🙂
  
  Reply ↓
Pride in Photos Photography on July 6, 2013 at 6:45 pm said:

The third photo is probably one of your best sir!!! It is almost 3-D in dimension.

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on July 7, 2013 at 12:55 pm said:
  
  Hey thanks so much! Very nice of you to say that and glad you liked that photo!
  
  Reply ↓
Gunta on July 6, 2013 at 8:03 pm said:

He looks chubbier in flight than a cormorant. Or was it the angle? We don’t get many anhingas here to compare.

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on July 7, 2013 at 12:57 pm said:
  
  I think it’s likely the angle because I always thought the D-c Cormorant was a slightly stockier bird then the anhinga who is actually kind of a slim bird. I’m happy we still have some anhingas around because they are a blast to watch and photograph! 🙂
  
  Reply ↓
Amy on July 6, 2013 at 8:38 pm said:

I think the first one is beautiful. The clarity of the third shot is amazing!

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on July 7, 2013 at 12:58 pm said:
  
  Well thanks so much Amy, I greatly appreciate the kind words.
  
  Reply ↓
brissiemaz on July 6, 2013 at 8:45 pm said:

A wonderful sequence…thank you. I finally consulted my bird book because I recognized the bird but not the name. I know it as a Darter and….lo and behold…. for the first time ever I noticed the scientific name (in tiny pale print)…anhinga!
Live and learn, eh Ray? 🙂

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on July 7, 2013 at 1:03 pm said:
  
  Well you are correct, it technically is a Darter with the family name being Anhinga. 🙂 And although they are water birds like the cormorant, fish similar to the cormorant, and need to dry off their wings like the cormorant, the anhingas are in a family all their own.
  I’m really happy you enjoyed these photos and please feel free to check out many more anhinga photos here:
  
  https://phillanoue.com/anhingas/
  
  And here:
  
  https://phillanoue.com/category/anhingas/
  
  Reply ↓
Andrew on July 6, 2013 at 9:22 pm said:

A face only a mother could love. And such awful table manners!

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on July 7, 2013 at 1:04 pm said:
  
  They are nowhere near as rough looking as the wood storks but yes, they sure fling their food around like an unruly chimp. 🙂
  
  Reply ↓
Garden Walk Garden Talk on July 6, 2013 at 9:44 pm said:

Great captures. Love the fish shot.

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on July 7, 2013 at 1:05 pm said:
  
  Thanks very much so glad you enjoyed these anhinga shots.
  
  Reply ↓
lylekrahn on July 7, 2013 at 1:14 am said:

Nice. If only it was that easy.

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on July 7, 2013 at 1:07 pm said:
  
  You mean catching the fish? I talk (yell) at them all the time to catch a fish when they are in the perfect spot (for me to get pics) and always feel they look at me like…”if you think it’s so easy pal, you jump in here and catch a fish with the end of your nose!”
  
  Reply ↓
janmasyn on July 7, 2013 at 3:57 am said:

Stunning nature photography!!!

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on July 7, 2013 at 1:07 pm said:
  
  Thanks a million Jan so glad you like these photos.
  
  Reply ↓
adinparadise on July 7, 2013 at 4:46 am said:

Another amazing series of action pics, Phil. That’s a huge fish he caught.
You’re getting rather good at this photography thing. 😆

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on July 7, 2013 at 1:08 pm said:
  
  Thank you very much Sylvia, and yes he is an expert at spearing those fish.
  I’m trying to plug along as best I can with this whole nature photography thing, hope you see some improvements. 😀
  
  Reply ↓
  - adinparadise on July 7, 2013 at 1:31 pm said:
    
    Oh yes, I think you’re really getting the hang of it now. 😆
    
    Reply ↓
    - Phil Lanoue on July 7, 2013 at 1:38 pm said:
      
      Good to hear, thanks much Sylvia. I really just don’t want the alligators to make fun of me over shoddy photography, they can be a bit snarky at times. 😀
      
      Reply ↓
Katariina Partala on July 7, 2013 at 2:38 pm said:

Wow.. I’d never seen a bird like that before!! 😀

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on July 7, 2013 at 3:38 pm said:
  
  They are very entertaining to watch and amazing at spearing fish!
  
  Reply ↓
Steve Gingold on July 7, 2013 at 5:13 pm said:

Fine images of this other Mr. A, Phil. He is obviously a very skilled fisherbird.

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on July 12, 2013 at 6:21 pm said:
  
  Oh he does a great job out there for sure! Amazing talent! 🙂
  
  Reply ↓
Bella Remy Photography on July 8, 2013 at 9:12 pm said:

Nice fish ! Great capture Phil.

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on July 12, 2013 at 6:21 pm said:
  
  Thanks for checking these out Emily!
  
  Reply ↓
crazytraintotinkytown on July 13, 2013 at 3:59 am said:

Amazing

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on July 13, 2013 at 6:07 pm said:
  
  Thanks, glad you liked them.
  
  Reply ↓