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.
Some Things Never Change
Well, once again, we see that two snowy egrets are incapable of fishing together in the same area of the salt marsh. One snowy almost always feels compelled to chase off another. I don’t even think that it’s necessarily anything personal, it’s just what they do…snowys being snowys.
You Could Put An Eye Out With That Thing!
This great blue heron came zipping by me so close and so fast I only had a chance to bang off this one frame. It turned out that I captured just the front half of the bird as it flew across the salt marsh but that was the business end!
I’m glad I did not need to go to the hospital Emergency Room and have to explain to the doctor that my injury was the result of a blue heron smacking me with it’s wing as it jetted by!
Ibis At Sunset
A lone white ibis stands silhouetted in the marsh pond. Although it is winter, the setting sun warms the scene in orange and golden light.
Still Fishing
A while back I was watching this young brown pelican fishing in the salt marsh. I thought I saw something unusual on the bird and when I examined the images later I realized that this pelican had a fishing lure stuck under the front portion of it’s right wing.
Sadly we see this type of thing far too often especially here along the coast. Birds can easily get stuck with hooks and tangled in fishing line. Hopefully this pelican can somehow manage to work the lure free from it’s body. But for now it seems to be able to fly and fish normally which is a good sign…
The Big Arrival
Great Blue Herons almost always feel they have to make a huge production out of everything. This one was no different as he arrived in the salt marsh among the oyster beds with a dramatic flourish. Normally you might think the effect is wasted if no one is around to be impressed, but not to these big guys. Blue herons quite often seem to be perfectly content impressing themselves!
Crab Salad
Recently some friends were discussing a recipe for crab salad and it was mentioned that using fresh genuine crab rather than imitation was important for best taste. That prompted me to head to my files where I came up with this photo of our good pal Mr. A enjoying a nice crab salad prepared his own special way. He not only likes it fresh, he also prefers it a bit on the crunchy side.
Although this particular recipe is officially endorsed by our alligator friend, I understand it may not be ideal for everyone. So please feel free to adjust the ingredients to prepare your own variation of this dish as necessary!
“Thanks For Spoiling My Portrait Dude!”
I was at the edge of the salt marsh watching this cormorant fish when it popped up out of the water and decided to pose for a nice portrait. At the same time a brown pelican came floating into view and totally photo bombed the cormorant’s portrait session which seemed to greatly upset the cormorant! So…he started flapping and splashing water all over the place but once the pelican glided quickly by, the cormorant mostly settled down.
The mood however had now been ruined and the cormorant was no longer interested in having his portrait done. He gave me an indignant look (as if it was my fault) then quickly steamed off to continue fishing in a new location.
Little Snack For Little Guy
A snowy egret knocks back a tiny minnow that it just plucked from the salt marsh at low tide. If he manages to catch and eat enough of even these little bitty fish, snowball will get a decent meal out of it. 🙂
Phil Lanoue Photography 