Phil Lanoue Photography

The Sun On Your Face

We have had a few rainy and dreary days in a row here so when the sun finally broke through this morning we decided it might be a good idea to check out the swamp to see if anybody was around. Sure enough, one of our old pals was out enjoying the pleasant morning. Quite often the sun on your face is a good feeling!

Big Lunch

Last week we saw this great blue heron pull a large fish out of the salt marsh. The GBH took three minutes to get the fish under control and into proper position for a head first gulp down. In one photo you can see an interested gull do a fly by during the event and in the next, a cormorant pops it’s head up out of the water for a quick look around.
We were also quite sure there were no bald eagles in the area because a blue heron with nice fish is generally the eagle magnet.
Of course *we* were hoping an eagle would show up but the GBH most certainly was hoping the opposite. The heron was lucky though, he got to keep his prize catch and make a very nice meal out of it.

Big Fish For Little Snowy

Earlier this week we saw this snowy egret snag himself a nice size fish out of the salt marsh at low tide. Normally we see the snowys only catching very tiny minnows which they pop down in great numbers. On a rare occasion such as this, we will see one almost surprise itself by catching a good size fish which sometimes they don’t even get to eat because a larger bird can take it away before the snowy has a chance to swallow it. This snowy not only got to keep and eat his fish, he wisely took it over to the muddy oyster beds to deal with. The idea behind walking out on land is that should the bird drop it, the fish won’t be able to swim away as it would if the bird was still standing in water.

Clever snowy!

Getting In A Twist

I thought it might be a nice to pull this one from my files, it’s an image that has not previously seen the light of day anywhere.

Looking at this egret, I’m not sure exactly what has got him in such a twist.

Is he looking at his own reflection in the water?

Is he looking for a fish?

Is he trying to figure out what that big thing is that is floating by?

I’m not sure. What does everyone think?!

Quiet Day

I stopped by the salt marsh only briefly yesterday afternoon. It was cold and windy and most of the birds were taking it easy, possibly conserving energy.

The incoming tide did not seem to be bringing many fish in with it anyway, so as a result I saw many birds who appeared to be in a resting mode rather then actively fishing.

I thought the photos with a great egret and a snowy, and then a great blue heron with a snowy, were interesting as they show the size differences between these birds.

It is supposed to warm up here for the coming weekend so I’m sure the action will pick up as the temps rise.

Shrimp Cocktail

Earlier this week we were watching this great blue heron who seemed to be enjoying hanging around the salt marsh and plucking shrimp out from among the oyster beds.

This is about as fresh as a nice seafood snack gets!

Marsh Eagle Continued…

So to continue on from yesterday…after the eagle took off from out of the marsh with it’s muddy, mangled fish, we were shocked to see it land on a wood guard rail at the side of a causeway that runs by part of the marsh. The eagle just stood there for well over a minute looking around in all directions. Possibly it was waiting for it’s friend to arrive that we saw flying around at the same time. But still, why would it decide to sit and wait there, in a low spot near a road?

Next you will see photos of your intrepid photographer (me) working the situation. The first shot was taken from far back by our friend Glenn who had his lens trained on the eagle as well. The next three shots were taken by my ever present sidekick and wife Alyce. The three of us were the only ones in the area until a car came around the corner at the end of the causeway. It turned out to be our friend Brenda who was holding back from driving on because she saw what we were doing and did not want to spook the eagle into leaving before it was ready to leave on it’s own. Interesting and exciting afternoon at the marsh yesterday!

Marsh Eagle

It was a quiet afternoon today at the salt marsh. Not too much going on, just a few of the regulars fishing including the herons, egrets, ibis, pelicans and cormorants.

The sky was grey and overcast and the temps started to drop a bit so we figured it was time to head home. But suddenly this bald eagle appeared and it started to circle around the marsh area, intently keeping it’s eyes on the water below. It hovered briefly then dropped down hitting the shallow water which was hidden by the tall reeds. Next thing we know he comes up with a fish and flies off with his catch as we watch admiringly below.

We were very glad we stayed around a bit longer.

There is more to this story which I will post tomorrow, but here’s a preview. There is a roadway with a wood guard rail on the side which runs along next to the marsh.

Before the eagle left for the trees with his fish, he stopped and landed on that wood railing very close in front of me. He was still holding his fish and he just sat there looking around for about a minute and a half. We couldn’t believe it! My wife and our photographer friend Glenn were the only people around to witness this. They both got some pics some of which as it turns out, show yours truly at work!