“This Pond Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us!”

Yesterday afternoon we were watching this one spoonbill calmly feeding on the far opposite edge of the pond. Suddenly another younger spoonbill arrived and landed about 50 yards from the first spoonie and picked out a spot of it’s own to do a little feeding. Well the older spoonbill immediately flew over to the new arrival’s location, we thought, to greet his friend which we assumed it would be happy to see.

But not so…the older spoonbill was not at all happy to have the competition and proceeded to chase off the poor youngster, who ended up flying across the pond to hopefully gain some sympathy from a crowd of wood storks who generally seem quite pleased to have a spoonbill join the group.

Also…notice how in the last two photos spoonie applied the brakes after concluding that his work here was done!

59 thoughts on ““This Pond Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us!””

The Wanderlust Gene on August 5, 2013 at 11:51 am said:

So beautiful, yet so bad tempered! 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on August 5, 2013 at 12:39 pm said:
  
  Yes a very pretty pink but that one bird has a real attitude problem. We have been watching that same one for a few days now and he seems to have sort of an aggressive loner personality. He doe snot seem to play well with others.
  
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crazytraintotinkytown on August 5, 2013 at 12:06 pm said:

I love the contrast of the pink against the surroundings; beautiful birds

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- Phil Lanoue on August 5, 2013 at 12:41 pm said:
  
  I’m always happy when I can get one in and around or in front of a green setting. They usually seem to stand out best when accented with green. 🙂
  
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Victor Rakmil on August 5, 2013 at 12:26 pm said:

Marvellous sequence. I especially like the fact you preserved the shadows.

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- Phil Lanoue on August 5, 2013 at 12:41 pm said:
  
  Thanks very much I really appreciate you looking and commenting.
  
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Susan Sohl on August 5, 2013 at 12:59 pm said:

Absolutely beautiful!

________________________________

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- Phil Lanoue on August 5, 2013 at 1:18 pm said:
  
  Thanks Sue, just wish they were closer, this was all the way across the pond.
  
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janmasyn on August 5, 2013 at 1:08 pm said:

Absolutely stunning & wonderful images.

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- Phil Lanoue on August 5, 2013 at 1:18 pm said:
  
  Thank you very much Jan, glad you enjoyed these spoonbill photos.
  
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Cowboys and Crossbones on August 5, 2013 at 1:53 pm said:

Why do the pretty always seem to be so snotty?!

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- Phil Lanoue on August 6, 2013 at 5:44 pm said:
  
  Heh heh, isn’t that the truth?! 😛 😀
  
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edithlevyphotography on August 5, 2013 at 2:01 pm said:

Fantastic Phil but I absolutely love the first image.

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- Phil Lanoue on August 6, 2013 at 5:45 pm said:
  
  Thanks very much Edith, I’m very happy you liked these!
  
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Gracie on August 5, 2013 at 2:08 pm said:

Awesome photos, Phil.

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- Phil Lanoue on August 6, 2013 at 5:45 pm said:
  
  Thanks much Gracie, I appreciate it.
  
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Pride in Photos Photography on August 5, 2013 at 2:28 pm said:

Adore this post and title….

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- Phil Lanoue on August 6, 2013 at 5:46 pm said:
  
  I’m very happy to hear that, thanks.
  
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Patrizia M. on August 5, 2013 at 3:48 pm said:

Che rosa splendido queste due spatole, risalta tantissimo sui colori dell’ambiente che le circonda.
Fantastiche, complimenti 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on August 6, 2013 at 5:49 pm said:
  
  Essi si distinguono molto bene, grazie Pat.
  
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Steve Gingold on August 5, 2013 at 3:52 pm said:

So, I am not the only cranky geezer in the pond. These spoonies are so wonderfully colored and you’ve captured them splendidly, Phil.

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- Phil Lanoue on August 6, 2013 at 5:46 pm said:
  
  He was probably only following my lead as I was acting a bit grumpy myself earlier in the day. 🙂
  Thanks for looking Steve!
  
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Madhu on August 5, 2013 at 4:27 pm said:

A fantastic set of images! They are possibly picking up the aggression from us humans 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on August 6, 2013 at 5:50 pm said:
  
  They are getting it from somewhere for sure! Thank you for checking these out!
  
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The Dancing Rider on August 5, 2013 at 4:45 pm said:

The pecking order is always there, isn’t it? i notice this among the horses at the barn, our cats, etc. GREAT colors. Poor little guy though!

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- Phil Lanoue on August 6, 2013 at 6:02 pm said:
  
  Yes that’s true we see that in everything from fish to alligators, it’s often a case of a bigger older guy chasing a smaller younger guy. Our concern is that it’s not like we have so many here we can afford to lose some from being chased away. We want to be more spoonbill friendly around here. 🙂
  
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SerachShiro on August 5, 2013 at 5:59 pm said:

These pictures are stunning ! I re blogge these on Twitter 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on August 6, 2013 at 6:03 pm said:
  
  I am very happy you enjoyed these and thank you for the twitter re blog! 😀
  
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Scott Marshall on August 5, 2013 at 6:09 pm said:

this first image is one of your landscape nature shots – lovely result especially love the darker chunk at the bottom

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- Phil Lanoue on August 6, 2013 at 6:04 pm said:
  
  I don’t normally present photos of birds so far away but I liked the overall setting of this and I especially like how the spoonbills stand out against green.
  
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norasphotos4u on August 5, 2013 at 8:21 pm said:

Gorgeous set of photos

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- Phil Lanoue on August 6, 2013 at 6:04 pm said:
  
  Thanks much I appreciate that!
  
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Amy on August 5, 2013 at 8:35 pm said:

I’m in awe!!! the first one is poetically beautiful! Love the last shot.

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- Phil Lanoue on August 6, 2013 at 6:05 pm said:
  
  Wow thank you so much Amy, I greatly appreciate your very kind comments!
  
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elizz on August 5, 2013 at 10:41 pm said:

awesome photos.. how lovely the birds are with those pink-colored wings.

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- Phil Lanoue on August 6, 2013 at 6:06 pm said:
  
  We really look forward every year to a visit by our pink friends! Glad you liked these pics!
  
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lylekrahn on August 5, 2013 at 11:33 pm said:

Great photos and story. The brakes are wonderful. I wonder what he would do if he caught up with the intruder or is this psychological game?

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- Phil Lanoue on August 6, 2013 at 6:07 pm said:
  
  I have seen this several times now, all he does is keep chasing the younger guy around. Well, sometimes he snaps at the little guys legs too. 🙂
  Thanks for checking these out and glad you like ’em!
  
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Deb W. Trotter on August 5, 2013 at 11:58 pm said:

Nature is full of interesting episodes. Love the photos in this sequence and your explanation. Thanks!

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- Phil Lanoue on August 6, 2013 at 6:08 pm said:
  
  Thank you Deb and yes indeed, the never ending possibility of excitement in nature keeps us going back out there as mush as possible.
  So glad you enjoyed these spoonie pics!
  
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Garden Walk Garden Talk on August 6, 2013 at 12:00 am said:

He probably scared off all the fish in his fishing hole too. Your sequence is just plain great!

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- Phil Lanoue on August 6, 2013 at 6:10 pm said:
  
  He probably did but he got in such a frenzied mood that I guess at that point he didn’t even care. And why I don’t know. The little guy looked like he just wanted a friend. Thanks!
  
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Gunta on August 6, 2013 at 1:05 am said:

Gorgeous sequence once again! The older spoonie looked like it was water-skiing at the end there. What an old grump!

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- Phil Lanoue on August 6, 2013 at 6:11 pm said:
  
  Thanks I’m happy you enjoyed these and yes he sure put the brake son at the end there!
  He was being a huge grump, especially since there is plenty of room for lots of birds but I guess just not that one.
  
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Jean-Paul on August 6, 2013 at 1:45 am said:

excellent, I share ♥

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- Phil Lanoue on August 6, 2013 at 6:11 pm said:
  
  Merci Jean-Paul I appreciate that! 😀
  
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adinparadise on August 6, 2013 at 3:12 am said:

This post really made me laugh, Phil. That old spoonie may be really pretty to look at, but he really needs to polish his manners and learn to share his territory. Love the last two ‘braking’ pics. 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on August 6, 2013 at 6:13 pm said:
  
  I don’t see why he can’t (or won’t) share. He did not seem to have a problem with many of the other birds or the little alligators that kept gliding by so why pick on his younger pink friend?!
  Thanks Sylvia!
  
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niasunset on August 6, 2013 at 3:29 am said:

This should be a masterpiece, dear Phil. Fascinated me. The nature world is great and your photography is great too, I loved them so much, Thank you, love, nia

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- Phil Lanoue on August 6, 2013 at 6:14 pm said:
  
  Thank you very much Nia I am so happy you enjoy my views of our local nature!
  
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monisertel on August 6, 2013 at 11:44 am said:

Hello Phil,
excellent series, amazing pictures!
Have a nice day
moni

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- Phil Lanoue on August 6, 2013 at 6:14 pm said:
  
  Thank you moni I’m very happy that you liked these spoonbill photos!
  
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unalaska on August 6, 2013 at 9:24 pm said:

Great series!

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- Phil Lanoue on August 7, 2013 at 11:21 am said:
  
  Thank you I’m very happy you enjoyed these spoonbill photos!
  
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drawandshoot on August 8, 2013 at 11:01 am said:

An amazing series, Phil. I love the brilliant colours and the way everything is reflected in the water. Beautiful!

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- Phil Lanoue on August 11, 2013 at 4:13 pm said:
  
  Thank you Karen for your very kind words.
  
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Paula on August 9, 2013 at 6:34 am said:

How lucky you are to be in the company of such magnificent birds 🙂 Amazing takes, Phil!

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- Phil Lanoue on August 11, 2013 at 4:14 pm said:
  
  I am happy to be out there watching them Paula and I’m glad you enjoy seeing the photos!
  
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foxleylady on August 22, 2013 at 6:51 am said:

There is certainly a real pecking order going on there! (Sorry!)

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