The Fish That Conquered The Marsh
As I mentioned yesterday there were a few brown pelicans swooping around the salt marsh and occasionally diving down to go after a fish.
Well, at one point I saw this pair come in together but one of them dove down and hit the water first. He immediately came up with a huge fish! Since his friend was only seconds behind on the plunge, the situation quickly escalated to a two pelican event.
They went back and forth for a bit with each bird not only convinced they were the rightful owner, but were at least potentially able to even attempt to swallow the big prize down whole.
Suddenly, they both took off. Had they both concluded that the fish was too big to eat?!? It was possible. Possible until I glanced up and saw that face. That look. That unmistakable iconic image of one of our resident bald eagles in full on attack mode.
I knew the eagle had been perched in a nearby tree and was certainly keeping his eyes on the action below and now it was his turn. Once again the mighty eagle, sky hooks at the ready, would settle this situation and settle it decisively.
Only there was one slight problem…that same fish that was too big for either of the pelicans to get down, was apparently too big to haul up out of the water as well.
Once the eagle hit the water and got his talons on the fish, he discovered that may have bit off more then he could chew. Or in this case, carry. The eagle tried lifting the fish straight up out of the water but that didn’t work, he couldn’t get any altitude even with those massive wings. Then he turned sideways and tried that maneuver. No luck. That fish was going nowhere and the eagle now realized it.
The eagle’s next move was to hop out of the water and fly a few feet over to a thicker section of the floating clump of reeds to rest up a bit. With a dejected and possibly slightly embarrassed look on his face, the eagle finally left the area in disgust and flew back to their nest at the far side of the salt marsh.
One important update on the eagle nest…As best as we can tell the pair is not only together, but appear to be feeding one or two chicks which we estimate to be just about a week old now. I’m sure this further added to the eagle’s displeasure over how the big fish incident of 2016 turned out. That would have fed two hungry mouths for a couple of days I’m thinking.
Phil Lanoue Photography 
WOW! These are incredibly and your story line follows precisely what you’ve depicted! AWESOME!
Thanks so much! I’m thrilled you enjoyed seeing the drama in the marsh we had yesterday. I tried to tell the story and have the right photos to go along as it happened. Glad you think it went well. 🙂
It was amazing the story line, it matched perfectly your experience!
Bellissimo come hai raccontato con le parole le azioni dei pellicani e dell’aquila fotografati magistralmente.
Fantastiche foto, super!!!
Ciao, Pat
Grazie Pat . Sono molto felice che ti piace i pellicani e l’aquila !
Awesome action sequence, your photos are just absolutely amazing.
Hey thanks so much Charlie, glad you liked seeing our afternoon of marsh action!
Another fantastic set!
Oh Phil, what I would give to witness all that wildlife action live!!! So thrilling; phenominal pics! Good for the fish, I hope it survived all that commotion. Live to fight another day. Great news about the eaglets too. Would you happen to have pics of the area/nest? Would love to remember what section of the marsh it’s at (from our last visit there).
Awesome photos as usual, and love the story behind them!
Another great sequence to illustrate the story, Phil. RH
Incredible series of photos, Phil. What a story line too. 🙂
What an incredible story and photographs! Thank you for sharing this event with us!
What a huge fish if the Eagle couldn’t fly off with it the pelican wouldn’t be able to fly after eating him.
Absolutely brilliant series of shots, Phil!! What a wonderful story they tell and the look of frustration on the eagle’s face is something to see!
Great set Phil and story to boot! Always good to hear of Bald Eagles pairing up and raising a family.
Great photos. Judging the eagle’s stern expression, not so much embarrassed but a little more miffed. 🙂
Love these and the story. Thanks for sharing