Phil Lanoue Photography

Wet And Hungry

There were several ospreys fishing around the salt marsh yesterday afternoon and this one hit the water right in front of me.

We both hoped he would come up with a nice fish. He wanted lunch and I wanted an exciting photo.

But all we both ended up with was a wet, unhappy, and still hungry bird.

He kept at it though, ospreys are hard working birds and when everyone sees big fish jumping out there, it’s game on!

Tasty, But Not Particularly Satisfying

This past week I was watching a tricolored heron fishing in the salt marsh. At one point he caught and quickly knocked back a small fish.

At first he looked quite happy to have this tiny, tasty snack. But in the last photo I thought he had kind of a disappointed look on his face, as if he was thinking… “Is that it?”

Diving In

This past weekend a spoonbill comes diving down looking for a perfect spot to land!

Crabby Is Not So Lucky This Time

Earlier this month we had a big blue crab that escaped being munched by an alligator by pinching the gator’s nose with his strong claw.

But this time our crabby friend was not able to intimidate this hungry alligator from making a meal out of fresh caught crab. Crabby got crunched and munched this time, which is the case more often then not out there in the salt marsh.

I’ve Been Missing The Minks…

It’s been a while since I have seen any minks scampering around the rocks along the marsh. So I thought it might be a good day to bring out some never before seen file shots of a couple of our cute little furry friends!

Pelican Up A Tree

Earlier this weekend, I was quite surprised to realize that a bird I saw flapping around on the top of a tree turned out to be a brown pelican.

This time of year we routinely see wood storks, egrets and herons perched in trees but never a pelican who is more likely to be seen resting while floating along in the water. These are very large birds so I was even more shocked that it was able to find a secure branch that high up that would support it’s weight.

After moving around and apparently finding a comfortable position, the pelican settled down for a pleasant late evening nap.

Brightening Up A Grey Day

Yesterday evening was cloudy with grey skies and light rain. Mostly a gloomy sort of day all around.

But at one point I looked across the marsh and saw a familiar face, uh I mean bill, arriving on the scene.

I couldn’t mistake those bright pink wings and I got a great look at them when the spoonie turned and banked hard to the right.

All it took was one lone spoonbill to show up all by himself and instantly the day was much brighter!

Black Skimmers At Work

Earlier this week we had some skimmers show up and make a few passes through the marsh.

These very fast flying birds are always fun and exciting to watch! I am amazed they don’t have a lot more wrecks zipping along at high speed with oyster beds just below the surface of the water, but they are experts using their skim technique for fishing.