Phil Lanoue Photography

Egret Fishing Close…Too Close

Last week I was watching this egret walking along the side of the marsh pond close to where I was standing when it suddenly struck at the water and came up with a fish. Often the issue is that the wildlife action takes place a bit too far away to get decent shots, but in this case the egret was too close. I couldn’t fit the top of the bird’s head and the bottom of the fish in my frame and I didn’t have time to back up before it gulped down the fish. Well…I suppose I shouldn’t complain, earlier in the week I spent an entire frustrating morning where nothing came close to my location!

Skimmers Working The Marsh

Earlier this week I saw these two black skimmers show up and do one fast pass across the marsh then that was it, as quickly as they arrived, they were gone. However I am always thrilled to see these amazing birds in action, even if it’s only for a quick visit on the way to their next location…

Just A Quick Morning Walk

This morning we saw our old pal Mr. Gator come walking out of the brush along side the far edge of the marsh pond. He was on his way to the swamp which is only a brief walk across a path that separates the two areas. Apparently his plan was to spend the day relaxing in the swamp after an active night doing who knows what!

The video was taken with an iPhone set up at a low angle while I took the still photo with my regular camera.

Scenes From The Marsh

It was a real hot one over at the marsh pond yesterday, but that didn’t mean the wildlife could stay inside and keep cool. Many of the local residents were out earning a living as usual despite the heat. The anhinga was flipping fish in the air as it normally does, and a great blue heron was busy plucking out his dinner since take away service is not available at the marsh. A juvenile white ibis was in a hurry to catch up to his friends that had all decided they needed to immediately move to the other side of the pond. And Mr. Gator seemed to be the coolest of them all (well isn’t he always?!) by relaxing in the water and watching everyone else rush around like crazy. Just another day in marsh world.

Pulling A Trailer

This morning a great egret flew by above the marsh pond looking like he is about to lose one of his long tail feathers. But for now the feather is still attached and trailing behind the bird!

Spear Fishing

There were a few anhingas out in the marsh pond this morning, doing their usual routine of spearing fish on the end of their sharp bill, and then flipping the fish in mid air for a head first swallow. I thought it might be interesting to show birds with a speared fish, and then one doing the patented “Anhinga Fish Flip”!

Mid Air Crisis…Averted

This morning we saw a Swallow-tailed Kite flying along the treetops at the far edge of the marsh pond. Quickly the kite circled around and headed back in our direction and we realized it had something in it’s feet. Snakes are it’s primary food source so seeing it had a Rough Green Snake was not a surprise. What was a surprise was not just how long the snake was, but how it wrapped it’s tail first around the beak of the kite then around the bird’s head and neck. After a bit of a struggle the kite managed to untangle itself from the snake’s grasp, and continue off with it’s prey…crisis averted.

In general, Swallow-tailed Kites are an uncommon species in our area so it’s always a treat just to get a glimpse of one and even better to see the kite with it’s prize catch!

Last Night At The Marsh Pond

It was a pleasant evening at the marsh pond last night. I took an overall shot of the pond with the 8mm fisheye just prior to sunset. The usual bird suspects were out doing their thing… we had a great egret and great blue heron fishing successfully. Naturally I had to include the obligatory shot of a young alligator lurking in the side corner of the marsh trying to stay out of trouble, which means keeping out of the way of the larger gators. Very nice evening and I might just go back and do it again tonight!