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.
Tasty Little Treat
Earlier this week we had a tricolored heron picking around the dried reeds in the salt marsh looking for a snack.
Many of these tiny minnows were caught and consumed which, although small, will eventually fill up the cute little heron.
“There MUST Be Something Good To Eat In Here!”
Earlier this week our hungry alligator pal was slogging through the marsh mud at low tide in search of a snack. I’m not sure what he hoped or expected to find buried in the thick mud, but I never saw him come up with anything that looked worth eating.
Eventually the gator gave up and at the end I thought he had a bit of a sad, dejected look on his mud covered face and paws. But if we look on the bright side…mud is supposed to be good for the complexion and his hide sure does look spiffy! 🙂
Big Dinner For Mister Alligator
We had an alligator out feeding in the salt marsh during low tide this afternoon. I thought it was unusually early for them to be eating but I guess the relatively warm Winter and apparent early Spring must have jump started their appetites.
Since the tide was low, this clever gator managed to find a nice pool of water in which some mullet had found themselves landlocked and trapped.
Mr. A went back and forth and eventually separated one fish out from the herd and had it pushed practically out of the water at the edge of the small pool. That’s when our boy erupted and pounced on the hapless mullet snagging the fish in his powerful jaws.
Despite the struggles of the unfortunate victim, it’s fate was sealed. A few chomps by those white teeth and one swallow later the mullet was history and dinner. This was likely the big guy’s first meal in a while so I’m sure it was appreciated.
Nice Day For Sitting Or Flying
Early this afternoon I spotted that distinctive white head peeking up out of a bunch of branches of a pine tree at the edge of the salt marsh.
The eagle was having a nice pleasant sit in the sun until he was called back to the nest site by the mate.
At this point he jumped off from the friendly confines of his soft resting space in the pine and flew by before heading across to the far west side of the marsh where the nest is located.
Also, as best as we can tell, the eagles once again have a pair of chicks in the nest for the second year in a row. Good news and we are delighted they decided to stay around the area to raise their young.
Looks Like Somebody Got New Skis
Earlier this week a brown pelican came gliding down into the salt marsh with his water skis fully deployed for a smooth arrival.
This pelican may need a little more practice with those skis because as is often the case when trying out new sports equipment, you end up falling right on your face.
The big guy did end up picking himself up out of the water and continuing along as if nothing happened. But isn’t that pretty much what we would all do?! 🙂
Well, It’s Not THAT Exciting…
A snowy egret was fishing with his friend in the salt marsh this afternoon when he suddenly erupted into a fluffed up frenzy.
The friend stopped dead in his tracks to see what all the fluffy fuss was about. Turned out that fluffball caught himself a tiny minnow.
So *that* was the big excitement?!? It was barely worth stopping for, so after the little snack was popped down, the friend continued on his way searching for some real fun (and fish). 🙂
Still Groggy
As the weather begins to warm up, our alligator friends start to show up around the marsh area.
But they are not exactly super active. A nice nap in the sun is about as exciting as their day gets at this point.
The second photo I took with the phone and shows our happy pair snoozing at the water’s edge.
Watch For Flying Feet!
A snowy egret was minding his own business in the salt marsh yesterday when an intruder appeared out of nowhere shocking poor snowball.
An aggravated snowy (well in truth snowys are almost always aggravated about something) will not hesitate to use any and all weapons at their disposal including a pair sharp clawed feet.
The identity of the attacker will remain a mystery as he kept his face out of security camera coverage. The only clues we are left with are those rather lethal looking snowy toes. 🙂
Phil Lanoue Photography 