Because You Might Miss Them…Spoonbill Portraits

It’s only been a little over a week since the spoonbills have moved on and left our marsh but I miss them already and thought you might as well.

So I thought I would post these never before seen portraits of our pink friend taken on a beautiful late evening back in August. As winter begins to arrive in many places I hope these images will bring back pleasant memories of warm summer nights to some of you as it does to me.

44 thoughts on “Because You Might Miss Them…Spoonbill Portraits”

Deb W. Trotter on November 20, 2013 at 2:50 pm said:

Love these photos, Phil. Especially the last one with the complete reflection, even of the drops of water!! Beautiful. These photos are the first where I have noticed that the spoon-shaped bill itself seems to have a pink tinge. Is that just the evening light?

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- Phil Lanoue on November 20, 2013 at 3:09 pm said:
  
  Thank you very much Deb I’m really happy you enjoyed these spoonbill photos.
  Their bill does indeed have a tinge of pink to it. Kind of light brown with a bit of rose coloring which can appear more pronounced depending on lighting conditions.
  
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HansHB on November 20, 2013 at 3:52 pm said:

Great serie, nice reflection in the last one!

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- Phil Lanoue on November 21, 2013 at 11:55 am said:
  
  Thank you Hans, glad you liked these shots!
  
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Patrizia M. on November 20, 2013 at 4:00 pm said:

Hai fatto bene ad inserire queste foto della spatola, sono bellissime. Scatti super !!!
Ciao, Pat

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- Phil Lanoue on November 21, 2013 at 12:15 pm said:
  
  Sono molto felice ti è piaciuto queste foto della spatula 😀
  
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Paula on November 20, 2013 at 4:08 pm said:

He is quite impressed with his reflection 😀 I would be too 😆

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- Phil Lanoue on November 21, 2013 at 11:56 am said:
  
  He does seem quite pleased with himself doesn’t he?! Thanks Paula. 🙂
  
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edithlevyphotography on November 20, 2013 at 4:14 pm said:

These are great. I particularly love the the last one.

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- Phil Lanoue on November 21, 2013 at 11:56 am said:
  
  I appreciate that Edith, thank you.
  
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Cowboys and Crossbones on November 20, 2013 at 4:18 pm said:

Oh that light on the spoonie is just gorgeous! Love the last pic, checking her bad self out in the water.

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- Phil Lanoue on November 21, 2013 at 11:57 am said:
  
  That late evening setting sunlight works nicely for stuff like this. Glad you liked the spoonie pics!
  
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Garden Walk Garden Talk on November 20, 2013 at 5:32 pm said:

You can always go to the zoo! Just kidding, that is what I have to do to see the spoonies. Lovely photos as always.

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- Phil Lanoue on November 21, 2013 at 11:58 am said:
  
  I don’t think we even have any in zoos around here, that would be kind of interesting to see though.
  So glad you liked these spoonie pics!
  
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  - Garden Walk Garden Talk on November 21, 2013 at 12:05 pm said:
    
    The Buffalo Zoo has a Rainforest exhibit that you walk through. I got some really nice images of the spoonies there. It is a large indoor structure with many birds you feature and taking photos of them looks almost like I am on location, but I always say I am at the zoo.
    
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    - Phil Lanoue on November 21, 2013 at 12:14 pm said:
      
      That sounds pretty cool, must be fun to go through there and I bet you can get some good photos.
      I know a guy that takes zoo photos but never says there were taken in a zoo. He doesn’t they are wild, just doesn’t say anything. I got suspicious one day when I was looking at his web site and saw various birds then all of a sudden a tiger. Don’t think we have many tigers roaming around in the wild here in SC. 🙂
      
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      - Garden Walk Garden Talk on November 21, 2013 at 12:15 pm said:
        
        That is funny. He should have tightened up his composition.
        
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        Phil Lanoue on November 21, 2013 at 12:17 pm said:
        
        Probably would have been best to leave off the tiger if he wanted his photos to appear ‘local’. 🙂
        
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The Dancing Rider on November 20, 2013 at 5:36 pm said:

Knew nothing about spoonbills at all until started visiting here. Beautiful parting shots. His eyes look so soft in thses photos. 🙂 Will miss seeing them, and hope I am still here next year to view more on your blog when they return!

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- Phil Lanoue on November 21, 2013 at 11:59 am said:
  
  The fun part (hopefully) is that I have quite a lot of spoonbill photos in my files from this past summer so I can continue to post previously unseen pictures of them all winter. 🙂
  
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Gunta on November 20, 2013 at 5:58 pm said:

And no one is biting anyone’s butt or leg! Marvelous memories and lovely portraits.

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- Phil Lanoue on November 21, 2013 at 12:01 pm said:
  
  Full Discloser: No animals were bitten on the butt or leg during the filming of this series. 🙂
  Speaking of memories, I have a series upcoming from 2009 that could be Mr. Grumpy, The Early Years. 😯
  
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Lee Wilkerson on November 20, 2013 at 7:07 pm said:

Those are very nice photos. I especially like the last one with the water drops, one with a pink reflection inside it. Many thanks!

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- Phil Lanoue on November 21, 2013 at 12:02 pm said:
  
  Hey thanks Lee, I appreciate you stopping by an I’m very happy you enjoyed these spoonie photos!
  
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anotherday2paradise on November 20, 2013 at 9:49 pm said:

Amazing pics, Phil. Don’t worry; absence makes the heart grow fonder, so they say. Your beloved Spoonies will soon be back again. 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on November 21, 2013 at 12:03 pm said:
  
  I was just talking yesterday about how long the wait will be until I see my pink friends again. I wonder if by next summer Mr. Cranky’s attitude will have improved, or possibly even gotten worse. 😯
  
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dinajohnston on November 20, 2013 at 10:24 pm said:

Beautiful light! I love the reflection in the last one. Thanks for sending them down here.

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- Phil Lanoue on November 21, 2013 at 12:04 pm said:
  
  That late summer evening light is nice to work with, it’s not really the same already.
  You should have a nice group down there by now.
  
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Lyle Krahn on November 21, 2013 at 1:57 am said:

Absolutely gorgeous. It turns out the spoonbills never leave your blog.

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- Phil Lanoue on November 21, 2013 at 12:06 pm said:
  
  Thanks very much I’m really happy you enjoyed these spoonie shots.
  You don’t know how right you are about them never leaving the blog. I have quite a lot of images in my files from all summer that have never seen the light of day previously, so I plan to roll them out gradually all winter long.
  
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janmasyn on November 21, 2013 at 2:36 am said:

Great shots, devine light.

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- Phil Lanoue on November 21, 2013 at 12:06 pm said:
  
  Thanks Jan, I really enjoy working with that late summer evening light.
  
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Mike Powell on November 21, 2013 at 7:02 am said:

Beautiful retrospective look at some of the memorable characters in your marsh melodrama, but life goes on. Who know what creatures will assume the leading roles now?

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- Phil Lanoue on November 21, 2013 at 12:08 pm said:
  
  I expect I will be seeing much of the usual suspects all winter…herons, egrets, ospreys, eagles, ibis, and various ducks. Nothing too colorful I’m afraid. But…I have a lot of shots in my files from this past summer that have never been seen before and I can post some periodically during the winter.
  
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Erv on November 21, 2013 at 7:03 am said:

Awesome again Phil! The last one is breath taking!

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- Phil Lanoue on November 21, 2013 at 12:09 pm said:
  
  Hey thanks a million for your visit here Erv, and I am very happy you enjoy seeing these spoonie pics!
  
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Amy on November 21, 2013 at 10:59 am said:

Thank you, Phil! Your photos are our lasting beautiful memories.

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- Phil Lanoue on November 21, 2013 at 12:11 pm said:
  
  Thank you for your kind words Amy I appreciate that!
  But…it doesn’t have to be totally over. I have file shots I have never posted before that I can roll out periodically during the winter. Hope everyone will like those. 🙂
  
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monisertel on November 21, 2013 at 12:54 pm said:

Dear Phil,
many thanks for these amazing portrait shots, love it!!!
Wish you a nice time
moni

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- Phil Lanoue on November 21, 2013 at 2:05 pm said:
  
  Thank you moni, I’m happy you enjoyed these portraits!
  
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foxleylady on November 23, 2013 at 8:24 am said:

How I love the spoonies! They have such dear little faces!

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- Phil Lanoue on November 30, 2013 at 12:49 pm said:
  
  You can understand how whenever I see one I just can not stop taking photos of them. There are just so goofy and adorable at the same time! 😉
  
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Fergiemoto on November 27, 2013 at 6:04 pm said:

Beautiful close-up portraits!

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- Phil Lanoue on November 30, 2013 at 12:50 pm said:
  
  I greatly appreciate your kind comments and glad you liked these spoonie shots!
  
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