I passed this male Anhinga several times the other day. He had staked a claim to the pilings on the old Magnolia rice field.

Multiple times he jumped up to dry here for short periods. He always returned to the water for a quick hunt, though I never did see a catch.

The bird looked to be molting. His neck feathers were bedraggled. Maybe that’s why he came over to dry so often too.

Below is the same bird, same spot, a little while later.

Eventually he should be competing with flocks of northern Cormorants, but not yet.

Anhinga’s are year round here, breeding just a mile or so in a rookery. They are a true tropical bird most common in South America. I’m not sure how far up the coast they have moved.