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.
Cattle Egrets…and…Spot The Imposter!
Monday morning we were very excited to spot some cattle egrets in the salt marsh among the oyster beds. These egrets are interesting and unusual for this area so it was quite a treat to see them! A bit later we saw a large group of them flying above the marsh pond. But…all may not be as it seems. They may not all be cattle egrets…there may be an imposter who slyly infiltrated the group. Can you pick out the individual who doesn’t belong??
“Oh What A Beautiful Morning…”
Yesterday morning we saw our old pal Mr. Gator come swimming out of his area back in the marsh and settle in on the edge of the pond for a little nap in the sun. I was standing not too far away whe I heard THE distinctive sound that only a bellowing alligator can make. I was more than a little surprised since we normally only hear this sound around the late spring during mating season. At that time of the year it’s fairly common to hear some of the larger alligators making this sound to warn off other gators and also to attract potential mates. I rushed over to where Mr. Gator was laying down (a safe distance anyway!) and grabbed a still shot of him as he bellowed, then switched over to video and managed to capture 10 seconds that recorded the last of his 6 or 7 bellows. Perhaps the sun and the beautiful weather made Mr. Gator feel like singing…Turn the sound up on your speakers and you should be able to hear the end of the concert!
“I See Nothing…!”
This morning we noticed a pair of great egrets who were sitting quietly in a tree enjoying some sunshine and minding their own business. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a wood stork swooped in and decided it needed to immediately occupy the branch that the egret on the left was standing on. The surprised and visibly annoyed egret had no choice but to vacate the premises! But what I found especially interesting and amusing was the behavior of the second egret…it never moved an inch! It completely ignored the entire altercation. It never even looked at the other two birds… didn’t react in any way at all and appeared totally disinterested in the entire event. Birds can be so entertaining!
Tasty Treats!
Recently we were watching this snowy egret as it picked it’s way along the salt marsh looking for small fish and shrimp. The little guy had a very busy evening as it moved in and around the oyster beds in search of a meal. Although most of what it caught was rather small, enough of these tasty treats will fill him up and get him through the night quite nicely!
Almost Bedtime…
Last night we saw this baby alligator (we refer to any alligator 4 feet or less as a “baby”) pop it’s little head up out of the water in the marsh. The late evening back lighting caused the little guy’s head to silhouette, while creating interesting swirl patterns in the water.
Sunset At The Marsh Pond
Last night we were out at the marsh pond for the evenings’s sunset where we were treated to a magnificent display of color. I had set up a camera in advance to make a time lapse video of the sunset, of course not knowing how it would eventually turn out. I was fortunate that it ended up up looking rather spectacular!
Along with the 30 second time lapse video, here are a few selected still shots I took of some particularly dramatic moments while the time lapse was running.
For those of you who are thinking…”but Phil, where are the birds?”…If you look closely at the first still photo, there is a flock of birds flying at the top portion of the sky. And in the time lapse video at 13-14 seconds, look for a great blue heron to pop out of the reeds in the lower left corner. So…we DO have birds!
Osprey Flights
Today I thought I would go with a few recent osprey shots. It’s always exciting to see these birds flying above the marsh ponds hunting for fish. Their level of concentration is intense and their eyesight is amazing. We had one hit the water near where we were standing and the splash it made was HUGE!
Great Blue Heron Flights
Here are some recent flight shots of one of my all time favorite birds, the Great Blue Heron. Although it’s not an uncommon bird, I never grow tired of watching and photographing this wonderful heron!
Phil Lanoue Photography 