Phil Lanoue Photography
I previously worked as a news and sports photographer. Recently I have been enjoying wildlife photography. My approach toward bird photos is similar to sports photography. I attempt to capture mostly action and hopefully a unique perspective.
“It Wasn’t Me, It Was That Other Bird”
Yesterday we spotted this great blue heron standing in a tree doing what I have often seen described as a “flasher” pose. You can draw your own conclusions regarding how it got that name, but from most of the research I have done, this posture is likely part of the heron’s ability to thermo regulate it’s body temperature. The wing out position can allow for better air flow when the bird is hot, or collect heat (as it appears to be doing here) to warm itself up in the sun after a cool evening.
However… could I have possibly caught it in an embarrassing situation? Soon after it was done flashing, the great blue flew across the marsh then ducked down low behind some reeds in hopes of remaining out of sight. It almost worked too, until I managed to steal a momentary glimpse of him when he briefly poked his up for a quick look around. 🙂
Two For One
Yesterday morning this osprey got two fish on one dive into the water. One fish for each talon!
Where’s Mom?
We saw this tiny baby alligator in the swamp this morning all alone by itself, no mom in sight. The little tyke had a forlorn look on his face as if he was thinking… “Mom left me, so now what am I supposed to do?!?”
No Competition
Earlier this week the salt marsh was active with many species of wading birds feeding at low tide, including this spoonbill and great blue heron. While the spoonie was very busy moving his spatula shaped bill back and forth through the water in search of food, the heron plucked himself out a nice fish.
If there had been an egret or another blue heron next to him there might have been an issue over who got to eat that fish. But…in this case the spoonbill simply ignored the great blue and it’s catch and continued on hunting for tiny shrimp. Although I have seen spoonbills eat very small fish, they are no competition for a heron and a fish like this, so they can all get along just fine during their evening meal!
Big Blue Coming In
A Great Blue Heron last night came flying in just above the reeds in the salt marsh at sunset. He took a left turn in front of me, then continued on down the marsh for one last bit of fishing before it got too dark.
Separate Arrivals
Last night we had three young spoonbills show up in the salt marsh but they each arrived separately. You can see how the light changed as each spoonie flew in. When the first one arrived the lighting had a typical early evening look, less harsh than afternoon but still a bit cool. When the second one showed up the sun had gone down more and was beginning to pick up some evening warmth. By the time the last one arrived it was just prior to sunset with the setting sunlight really warming the entire scene with a golden glow.
After arriving, the trio posed for a quick group portrait, then got right down to the business of feeding! At this point the sun had mostly gone down giving the marsh a cooler look with a more blue color temperature. The three spoonies were now in shadow but you can see how the last bit of setting sunlight was still reflecting some red and gold off of the water.
Late Evening Skim
Last night this black skimmer swooped in and made one fast pass across the marsh pond and then was gone as quickly as he arrived…
Little Blue Heron
Earlier this month I spotted this little blue heron gliding across the salt marsh. The late afternoon sun gave a nice warm glow to the reeds in the background.
Phil Lanoue Photography 