Portraits Of A Perched Anhinga | Phil Lanoue Photography

Portraits Of A Perched Anhinga

Earlier this weekend I was surprised to see this anhinga come swooping in and land on the end of a branch that was sticking out of the marsh pond just below my position. It had a heck of a time trying to balance itself on the very tip of the branch and I thought it had no shot…but…sure enough it managed to steady itself fairly well. The bird ended up staying perched there for about two minutes before it took off. I had just enough time to grab a couple shots of this anhinga who clearly thought he was striking a couple of elegant poses for his portrait pics!

41 thoughts on “Portraits Of A Perched Anhinga”

Judy on August 4, 2013 at 2:02 pm said:

Love that ruby e and the shadow in the water!!

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on August 5, 2013 at 11:38 am said:
  
  Hey thanks Judy! 🙂
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
  - Judy on August 5, 2013 at 1:12 pm said:
    
    I see gremlins have interfered with my typing again….that was a ruby eye although I am sure a ruby e would be lovely. I wanted to add that I kind of liked the angle of image 1, it has an interesting quality to it.
    
    LikeLike
    
    Reply ↓
    - Phil Lanoue on August 11, 2013 at 4:17 pm said:
      
      I am really happy to hear you enjoyed these photos Judy!
      
      LikeLike
      
      Reply ↓
Gunta on August 4, 2013 at 2:03 pm said:

…and what incredible portraits they are!

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on August 5, 2013 at 11:38 am said:
  
  Very glad you like them Gunta!
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
Steve Gingold on August 4, 2013 at 2:54 pm said:

Handsome devil this Anhinga. Two nice portraits, Phil. How many wallet size did he order? 🙂

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on August 5, 2013 at 11:41 am said:
  
  Thanks very much Steve! Well I have to speak with his parents and see if I can talk them into ordering a whole package deal. So far they have offered a fish with two puncture holes in it as payment. Not sure that has the proper appeal. 😛 🙂
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
lylekrahn on August 4, 2013 at 3:31 pm said:

Beautiful. Did it make you want to try it too?

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on August 5, 2013 at 11:43 am said:
  
  Thanks. I had thoughts, but I remembered the last time I tried a balancing move at the edge of the swamp and came very close to falling in along with my gear and in full view of several alligators.
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
pixelspielerei on August 4, 2013 at 3:38 pm said:

The third feather from the left sits a little crooked but for a spontaneous pose it was really great! 😛

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on August 5, 2013 at 11:44 am said:
  
  This whole bird was a little crooked I think. 😛 Thanks for looking! 🙂
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
The Dancing Rider on August 4, 2013 at 4:09 pm said:

Striking feather detail and branch (which is color-coordinated with the anhinga…lol) against the color of the water. A person could not have arranged all this if they tried! What a portrait.

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on August 5, 2013 at 11:48 am said:
  
  I was glad I at least had a minute or two to photograph it after it landed. I don’t normally spend a lot of time on perched birds as I prefer action but I did like the setting on this one. Thanks!
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
HansHB on August 4, 2013 at 4:28 pm said:

This is splendid photowork, great serie of photos!

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on August 5, 2013 at 11:48 am said:
  
  Thank you very much Hans I appreciate you looking and commenting!
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
seattlecharlie on August 4, 2013 at 7:31 pm said:

I spent the last hour researching the Anhinga you photographed…very interesting.

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on August 5, 2013 at 11:46 am said:
  
  I’m glad you liked viewing the anhinga which is one of my all time favorite bird action to photograph.
  I hope you had a chance to view my anhinga gallery here:
  https://phillanoue.com/anhingas/
  And posts featuring this bird (the photos are different from the gallery) here:
  https://phillanoue.com/category/anhingas/
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
janmasyn on August 5, 2013 at 2:41 am said:

Great shots, excellent portraits and detail.

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on August 5, 2013 at 11:49 am said:
  
  Thanks Jan, glad you liked these anhinga photos.
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
Kalyan on August 5, 2013 at 5:58 am said:

simply beautifully captured shots…lovely!

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on August 5, 2013 at 11:49 am said:
  
  I really appreciate your very kind words, thanks!
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
Andrew on August 5, 2013 at 8:21 am said:

Fantastic birds. Lovely photos Phil.

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on August 5, 2013 at 11:49 am said:
  
  Hey thanks a million Andrew, I’m happy you enjoyed these photos.
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
crazytraintotinkytown on August 5, 2013 at 12:03 pm said:

How very obliging that he modelled for you like that

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on August 5, 2013 at 12:43 pm said:
  
  It was a typical celebrity, it gave me two minutes and that was it.
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
Cowboys and Crossbones on August 5, 2013 at 2:14 pm said:

Strike a pose, there’s nothing to it.. vogue!

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on August 7, 2013 at 11:19 am said:
  
  Oh yeah, vogue is right! Thanks
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
Laurie MacBride, Eye on Environment on August 5, 2013 at 4:49 pm said:

Absolutely stunning plumage! Gorgeous images, especially the first one.

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on August 7, 2013 at 11:19 am said:
  
  Thanks I’m happy you liked these anhinga pics!
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
norasphotos4u on August 5, 2013 at 8:34 pm said:

Gorgeous

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on August 7, 2013 at 11:19 am said:
  
  Thanks I appreciate it.
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
Deb W. Trotter on August 5, 2013 at 11:52 pm said:

Serendipity! Great shots and impressive balance by the anhinga.

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on August 7, 2013 at 11:20 am said:
  
  I really appreciate you looking and commenting Deb, thanks!
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
Garden Walk Garden Talk on August 6, 2013 at 12:02 am said:

The first pose, he looks like a monument. Maybe that was his intent… 😀

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on August 7, 2013 at 11:20 am said:
  
  He likely was quite impressed with his own image and pose. Cool birds and they know it! 🙂
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
TheForagingPhotographer on August 7, 2013 at 7:23 pm said:

Phil I love these – the colour, the definition on the feathers, stunning.

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on August 11, 2013 at 4:14 pm said:
  
  Thanks Lucy I’m happy to hear you enjoyed these!
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
Molly Argo on August 10, 2013 at 6:17 pm said:

Beautiful photos of one of my favorite birds!

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- Phil Lanoue on August 11, 2013 at 4:15 pm said:
  
  Thank you Molly and one of my favorite birds as well. I normally prefer action shots of them fishing but I could not resist this setting.
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
foxleylady on August 22, 2013 at 6:52 am said:

It looks as though it is drying off in the sun, like the cormorants do. It could have found an easier place to do it, though!

LikeLike

Reply ↓

Leave a comment Cancel reply