Busy Weekend!

We had a very active weekend over at the marsh. On Saturday, ten spoonbills arrived and they began feeding together as a group in the salt marsh! In the second group photo you can see the deer antler sticking up out of the water as the tide was still falling.

Our injured friend was among the group and I am happy to report that he is doing much better and continues to feed and fly normally. We saw him flying all over the place this weekend and at one point he even got into a small scuffle with another spoonie.

Then yesterday we had eight white pelicans show up in the marsh pond. They started out standing around in a group with the wood storks, but eventually began to slowly float back and forth hunting for fish. A spoonbill watches some of the big pelicans with a curious look in his eye as it’s possible he has never seen these large birds before.

And of course I can’t forget our good pal Mr. A who at times like this tends to get a bit lost in the shuffle. With all the excitement about the spoonbills he was not commanding his usual attention and those consequences won’t be good for anybody. But he was also active (well at certain times) this weekend keeping an eye on everything and everyone and also managed to get in a little fishing.

Yes indeed, very busy weekend for us all!

25 thoughts on “Busy Weekend!”

Patrizia M. on August 18, 2014 at 5:18 pm said:

Scatti bellissimi, talmente belli che è difficile sceglierne uno!!
Complimenti. Ciao, Patrizia

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- Phil Lanoue on August 18, 2014 at 7:59 pm said:
  
  Hey Grazie Pat! 🙂
  
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Charlie@Seattle Trekker on August 18, 2014 at 5:55 pm said:

Definitely the subtle signs of fall are starting to show in the marsh…Amazing photos.

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- Phil Lanoue on August 18, 2014 at 7:58 pm said:
  
  Thanks very much Charlie, so glad you enjoy the scenes from the marsh.
  
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The Wanderlust Gene on August 18, 2014 at 7:43 pm said:

Wonderful news, Phil (and glorious pink shots!) 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on August 18, 2014 at 7:58 pm said:
  
  Thanks and you must be talking about the inside of Mr. A’s big yap right?!? 😉
  
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  - The Wanderlust Gene on August 18, 2014 at 8:18 pm said:
    
    🙂
    
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Becky cribb on August 18, 2014 at 8:03 pm said:

Your photos always look so alive !! Love them.

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- Phil Lanoue on August 18, 2014 at 8:15 pm said:
  
  I appreciate that Becky thanks!
  
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Jody Davison on August 18, 2014 at 9:07 pm said:

Hi Phil, I took the birding class with Sharon and Phil Turner last Wednesday. Sharon told me to check out your website, and I am so glad I did! Thanks for sharing the beauty of Huntington on line. Now when I am in Fort Mill I can still see what’s happening at the beach. Fabulous!
Jody Davison

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- Phil Lanoue on August 19, 2014 at 9:41 am said:
  
  Hi Jody, thanks a million for your very kind comments and I’m happy you enjoy the photos!
  Phil and Sharon are terrific folks!
  
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Lee Wilkerson on August 18, 2014 at 11:48 pm said:

That’s a big group of spoonbills for the park, plus the white pelicans. I hope they hang around for a long while – I hope to be able to visit there in a couple of months. Great shots again Phil, and the news about all the wildlife is much appreciated!

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- Phil Lanoue on August 19, 2014 at 9:43 am said:
  
  Thanks much for checking in Lee. After seeing zero spoonies the entire month of July (first time in five years for that) they are making up for it in August.
  
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Andrew on August 19, 2014 at 6:49 am said:

Gorgeous photos as usual Phil. Gotta love pelicans.

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- Phil Lanoue on August 19, 2014 at 9:45 am said:
  
  Thanks Andrew and yes the big pelicans are fun for sure. The only problem I usually have with them is that unless they happen to fly near me, they like to stay at the far back edge of the marsh which is almost too far for pics.
  
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Patti Hutchison on August 19, 2014 at 7:55 am said:

I love your photos! They are always so perfect, that if I didn’t know better, I’d think they were staged! How do you get all these animals to pose for you? 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on August 19, 2014 at 9:48 am said:
  
  Thanks very much for looking and commenting Patti! Well, it seems like most of the wildlife we see out there are quite impressed with themselves so they always not only appreciate, but expect to get plenty of screen time. 🙂
  
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The Lite Rider on August 19, 2014 at 9:35 am said:

Love that parting shot. The pelicans are so pretty together! And Mr. A of course just has to be in the fray somewhere, doesn’t he? Best of all, a whole group of big pink spoonbills – that was fantastic to see! 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on August 19, 2014 at 9:50 am said:
  
  It was a mob of pink out there! Who would ever think of a pink mob?!? 🙂
  And yes, I feel I have to include our good buddy Mr. A, with the spoonies and white pelicans in town he should not get shuffled to the back of the pack. Plus he seems to always show up at just the right (or wrong depending on perspective) time. 🙂
  
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anotherday2paradise on August 19, 2014 at 2:39 pm said:

How fortunate you are to have so many spoonies and pelicans all at the same time, Phil. Maybe Mr. A wouldn’t agree with me, but he’ll survive the onslaught. Great photos again. 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on August 20, 2014 at 5:09 pm said:
  
  Oh Mr. A is such a drama queen! (don’t tell him I said that)
  He had better get over it because these spoonies look like they are here for a while and people love ’em!
  
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Boyd Greene Fine Art on August 20, 2014 at 7:12 am said:

I’ve seen one on trips, but never such a large group. Beautiful image.

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- Phil Lanoue on August 20, 2014 at 5:10 pm said:
  
  I’ll tell ya, these birds will stop traffic! Well, the alligator will too, but in a different way. 🙂
  
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Rolling Harbour on August 21, 2014 at 4:56 am said:

The spoonbills and pelicans are a great mix. #5 is a gorgeous photo – very dramatic! RH

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- Phil Lanoue on August 24, 2014 at 8:18 pm said:
  
  Hey thanks! I’m very happy you enjoyed seeing the crowd out there! 🙂
  
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