A cemetery headstone outside Charleston, South Carolina.
In A Cemetery
Monthly Archives: July 2019
Everyone Looking To Eat, Egrets, Alligators (Some Do)
When the opportunity presents itself everyone takes advantage.
Water was rushing into the marsh here, small fish get caught in the flow.
This ‘fish flow’ brings in the Egrets who work around the water catching what they can.
Of course the Alligators see this and they really don’t care what they catch. Above they slowly drift in to get some action also.
Here the Egret quickly struck the water, head going under for a moment. Not a good idea at this point.
It only takes a moment for an Alligator to move.
They can charge even faster.
The answer to the question is… I don’t know. A big splash sends all the birds in a panic. I did see the Great Egret in the air (above). I can’t say about the Snowy.
When shooting wildlife, or even sports, the rule is always keep shooting. The action is longer than you think. I did that here and got the attack. The Alligators were underwater now.
Black Skimmer On The Hunt
This bird was skimming right toward me when I shot these.
It was lucky too since I had a very small opening in the tall grass to shoot anything.
The Skimmer made the typical surface trail and above might have captured a small fish.
He had to pull up and away since he was about to be in the reeds with me. They can turn in a flash.
One second it looks like a crash, the next it’s a perfect 90 degree turn.
Red In The Group
The Reddish Egret stayed right in the mix with all the others for this feeding. He did shy away from the large storks at times though.
Reddish Egrets are loners and usually I have seen them feeding by themselves. We are going to need a few more to establish some kind population, even migratory, of this endangered bird. But this is a start. We didn’t have many Wood Storks a short time ago either.
Click any image below for full size images.
Red In The Group
Red In The Group
Red In The Group
Surprise, The Water Is Deep, Stork
The Wood Stork was walking over to join the others and fell in a hole.
He didn’t fly off, but did managed to flap around like a fool.
He forged on and luck was with him now.
I could have been worse. The bottom is all soft pluff mud. Thick, slimy and might even keep him stuck there.
He Caught Something, Alligator
This is a ‘little local’, maybe a year or so old. No larger than 2 feet (.61 meter).
He was slipping around the shore, pushing through the greens when he jumped and snapped.
I did catch the moment, but he hid whatever it was.
When I was obviously watching, he froze and stared back. If I moved, he chewed and thrashed under the water. Maybe he was afraid I would take it away, another Alligator would.
Click any image below to view the gallery.
He Caught Something, Alligator
He Caught Something, Alligator
He Caught Something, Alligator
He Caught Something, Alligator
He Caught Something, Alligator
This ‘thing’ about hiding what they are eating is not uncommon. Just a few days ago I came on a very large Alligator, chewing on something. He stopped when he saw me. I waited to get the photo, but gave up. I turned, he opened really wide ! I turned back with the camera… he snapped shut and stared at me.
Like I really want a half chewed smelly fish (or worse).
Waiting For Sunset Colors
A spot I have always liked, but it rarely repays the favor.
In the last three years I think once I found some Tundra Swans, I did get a nice set of Skimmers, and perhaps a single colorful sunset.
Waiting For Sunset ColorsIt’s a very pretty place, just don’t ask for anything in return.
This was the sunset… I could still be waiting.
Came By For A Look, Alligator
This large ‘country gator’ came up and very slowly wandered by us. I’m not sure what caught his attention, maybe nothing. Who knows, it’s an Alligator.
I call them ‘country gators’ because compare their size and shape to the Alligators closer to Charleston and there is no comparison. These here are so much bigger (older).
It’s common for one of them to be curious about what we are doing. They don’t come all that close and know they can escape immediately. Maybe we are entertainment.