Major Clean Up
Right around the same time last week that we had the spoonbill come in and put on an extensive bathing demonstration, we also had a couple of white ibis get in on the act.
We often call them “muddy ibis” because they frequently get filthy and covered in mud due to their feeding techniques. They use their long, curved bills to forage in the mud for food and usually end up covered in the stuff.
So a nice splash around in the salt water of the marsh is just the ticket to get a bird all clean and looking sparkling white again, even though it won’t last long… 🙂
Phil Lanoue Photography 
My word, what a contrast! There’s a lovely clean boy! (As you say, Phil, for a while, at least!)
It takes a lot of splashing around to clean these birds up. But I rarely see the egrets bathe and they also seem to stay so clean! How do they do it?
I know what you mean! I will say that juvenile wood storks are a particular mess when it comes to photography. Fish gunk everywhere and they can’t get out and swim ’til they fledge, so after a rain maybe?? But, the ibis’s are often coated with mud here too just as you say.
We call them ‘muddy ibis’ as they often have mud on their faces and feet.
What I can’t exactly figure out though is how the egrets feeding in the same spots are able to stay almost spotless bright white. 🙂
Maybe it is just the rapid fire plunge the egrets do vs the deeper searching the ibises seem to do. I’d say taller but the smaller egrets like snowys stay clean. These characters are fun though. Great weekend to you!
Love the wonderful demonstration on the proper bathing technique, great photos.
Thanks for checking these out Charlie and glad you liked the bathing Ibis!
Excellent shots as always, Phil. I love this seamless sequence in the photo rollout.
Thanks a million Paula!
I hope Phil is okay there hasn’t been any new pictures of our feathered friends or Mr A for a while.
Well I’m sort of back. The whole marsh area was closed off for over three weeks due to hurricane damage.
A lot of the birds are back now but I worry that our pal Mr. A may have been confused by the storm.
Plus the weather has been so weird. We were just about getting ready for fall when all of a sudden summer came back. Everybody is trying to settle in as best they can right now.
yes we’ve been having weird weather here as well, heavy winds plus one day hot weather next day cold, no wonder I’ve got a cold at the moment.
Hopefully the animals will be back on the marsh soon, they seem to know when somethings not quite right with the weather.
The weather here has got my head all clogged up too plus I suspect the trees over by the marsh and shore area are all confused and might be spitting out some weird pollen that has people getting sore throats and stuffed up sinuses.
Even worse has been the mosquitos!! They have EXPLODED. I planned to go over to the swamp earlier today and didn’t get 50 feet before I was driven back by those rotten blood suckers.
The animals usually begin to settle back in fairly quickly, still waiting for more alligators to show up though.