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.
Two Evenings…Two Alligators
Last week this first alligator was floating along in the marsh pond with the setting sunlight making the water sparkle as he went by.
Then last night the overcast sky combined with no breeze gave the water a smooth, glassy look.
Morning Skim
Last week I was happy to see a black skimmer zipping along across the marsh pond. On this run, the skimmer came up empty with no fish to show for his efforts. But when it flew up from finishing another pass in the far back corner of the pond, I saw that this time the skimmer did have a small fish in it’s bright orange bill!
Woody Catches Two…Looses One…
Earlier this weekend I was watching this wood stork fishing in the salt marsh. At one point woody came up with two fish on one attempt. But astonishingly, one of the fish manages to twist and wriggle it’s way out of woody’s prodigious bill and plummet back into the water…perhaps to live to swim another day. Or maybe woody just snatched it back up again later. Either way. 🙂
Mister Alligator And Friends
So last night an alligator was feeding in the shallow water of the salt marsh at low tide. As is often the case, Mr. A’s sloshing around had attracted the attention of a few of the wading birds that were in the area. Quickly a wood stork and an egret arrived to join in the feeding frenzy, scooping up fish that in a panic were jumping all over in an attempt to get away from our alligator pal.
The birds know that an actively feeding gator can provide a jackpot of fish and they will purposely stand around near the alligator and even follow it as it moves from side to side herding the fish as it goes. The wood stork was particularly bold but the egret hung right in there as well. The birds may be taking a little bit of a chance, but they can also tell when Mr. A is focused on catching fish and crabs only and is paying no attention to them.
Also in the nearby area was an ibis, a snowy egret, a great blue heron, and another wood stork. But none of them were quite as brave as these two here. They are likely older and more experienced birds and are better at reading alligator body language which is an important skill to have in the marsh if you wish to cash in on the seafood bonanza available when Mr. A is really working the area hard.
Spoonie Gets Photobombed
So last week I was watching this spoonbill in the marsh pond, concentrating on it’s reflection and hoping to get some interesting views. Spoonie was posing nicely and being very well mannered when suddenly a snowy egret marches itself right into my shot, bumps spoonie from behind and photobombs the scene! This of course creates ripples in the water which ends up spoiling the reflection potential, but snowball didn’t care, his work here was done and he just continued on his merry way!
Adventures In The Salt Marsh
Well here is part 2 of what our pal Mr. Alligator did after he snuck out of the weeds and strolled himself on over to the salt marsh…
After slogging through some low tide mud, our boy made his way into the still shallow salt water and proceeded to swim around in and among the oyster beds hunting for food. In this case his menu item of choice was fish who were being brought in with the incoming tide. After picking his way around the oysters and reeds for about 25 minutes Mr. A took one more close pass over by my location before finally making his way further out into the marsh where I eventually lost sight of him.
You Wouldn’t Think Something That Big Would Be Able To Hide
So yesterday evening I thought I spotted some movement in the weeds along side the marsh pond and when I stepped over to investigate, I quickly noticed this huge eye already checking me out. I have to give the big guy credit, he did manage to hunker himself down and, despite his size, be quite well hidden. I also knew what was coming next…he wanted to walk out from there and take a nice slow leisurely stroll over to the salt marsh to feed at low tide.
I watched him for a while swimming and sloshing around for fish in the salt marsh and those photos are a post for another day…
Sometimes Being a Big Mouth Can Be A Good Thing
Normally if you hear someone being referred to as a ‘big mouth’, it’s meant as a criticism in a negative manner. But in alligator world, being a big mouth can be a good thing because nobody ever wants to mess with or bother the big mouth. Big Bubba here from this past weekend was nominated head gator in charge of the marsh pond largely due to his having the most impressive display of the evening!
Phil Lanoue Photography 