Phil Lanoue Photography

“What Is That Thing?!”

This morning in the swamp I saw these two moorhens come strolling along on the edge of the water looking to pick at their usual breakfast of aquatic plants which they seem to find quite appealing. They quickly noticed however a large, somewhat unusual item floating there in the water. The moorhens paced about nervously for a few moments attempting to ascertain what this odd thing might be. But they must have concluded that it was nothing to be overly concerned about because they just as quickly went right back to their usual foraging.

Our pal Mr. Alligator was completely uninterested and ignored the moorhens the entire time. He obviously had more important things on his mind which no doubt included finding a comfy spot in the sun for his daily nap!

Takeoff!

Yesterday afternoon I saw this Pied-billed Grebe doing a running takeoff as it launched itself up and out of the marsh pond. The Pied-billed is a duck-like diving bird and I generally only see them floating about in the marsh occasionally diving down to snatch a small fish and then popping back up again. Grebes are not skilled or graceful flyers and it takes considerable effort for a Pied-billed Grebe to get airborne so it was very unusual for me to see one going through the takeoff procedure.

A Relaxing Morning

Yesterday morning I went over to check out the swamp and see if any alligators might be out taking advantage of the bright sun and warmer temps. After a brief wait I saw this guy come gliding in and haul himself up out of the water and onto his comfy nap spot he had chosen for the day. I guess it was a popular place because a short time later he was joined by his friend who had also apparently decided that location looked extra comfy!

This End Up

Yesterday afternoon I saw this osprey pluck out a fish from far off in the marsh and fly off with it. The osprey turned and flew in my direction and I grabbed some photos as it went by. When I looked at the first picture later, I noticed that the osprey was flying with it’s wings in the normal position pointed down, but it’s head appeared to be turned and looking up! Maybe it was keeping an eye out for the eagle who is well known for chasing an osprey to take away it’s fish. Actually, I think the osprey was probably shaking water off of itself, they will often do that while in mid air.

“Hey Watch This!”

Yesterday afternoon I saw a brown pelican fishing in the salt marsh when suddenly another pelican came swooping in with the apparent intention of impressing his friend with an amazing dive move! In the last photo, as the pair are floating along down the marsh, he looks like he is saying to the spectator…”So, what did ya think of that?! Pretty cool right?!”

Sadly, I do not think the display had the desired effect as his friend seemed less then impressed and in fact never even changed expression. I, however, was quite impressed…but I suppose in pelican world what I think doesn’t count for much!

The Arrival

A great egret makes a huge production out of his arrival in the marsh…unfortunately there were no other birds around to impress and appreciate the bold display.

It also looks like our pal Mr. Egret has lost a good size piece of one of his primary wing feathers on his right wing. It can be a tough marsh out there!

Looks Like Spring Has Arrived

So this morning I went over to the swamp not really expecting anything much to be going on but hoping I might catch a few ducks still hanging around the area. I wasn’t there two minutes before I glance down a pathway and who do I see sneaking himself across and back into the swamp?!? Yes indeed, it’s our old pal Mr. Gator! Apparently he had been mucking about in the mud on the other side of the swamp and decided he needed to wash off. So I went down to where he entered the water and watched as he slowly glided himself through the dried rushes, and back into the depths of the swamp.

Well OK then…I suppose Spring is officially here!

Nice Day For Fishing

Yesterday afternoon we were watching this young brown pelican fishing in the salt marsh. They can be quite entertaining to observe as they fish, since their technique is somewhat less then graceful. A brown pelican hits the water with a head first crash looking as if it was just tossed from a moving vehicle! As odd as it may appear however, this system works very well for them. At one point we saw this guy come up with a nice fish, swallow it down, and then fly off to continue on with his day of fishing.