She had speared a small fish and climbed up on an old piling with it. Probably not a bad idea since an Alligator would be interested in her catch, or her.
She had the typical Anhinga problem, the fish was stuck on her beak. Unlike Cormorants, or other diving birds, Anhinga use their sharp beak as a spear to catch fish.
This time it was easy to dislodge the fish. A little twist and it was free for her to grab.
As always it’s a quick swallow to finish.
Rice Field, Charleston, South Carolina.
A young bird just getting the distinctive pink color.
Another year and he will be a nice pink, with a green hue on the bald head.
Roseate Spoonbill.
This is the type of image that I personally like. Some landscape, interesting wildlife, and just enough going on to make me stop and take a moment to ‘look’ at the photograph.
Best viewed large.
The birds in the foreground are a juvenile Stork on the left, and adult on the right. Both have bathed so their feathers are a bit ‘eschew’ .
The flock behind is also bathing, several have outstretched wings drying.
With a few Egrets way back I think this is a good example of a Lowcountry marsh scene.
He’s still trying to figure out what’s next. Just outside the image is an island rookery that had a larger than usual number of Tricolored nests.
Now we have a new, and larger, local generation of the midsized Herons wandering around this swamp.
They won’t stay much longer. In the photograph you can see how the thick vegetation has covered the water. Hunting is harder, Alligators more hidden.
When he gets hungry, or has a close call with a gator, it’s a short flight to marshes and river banks.
At the edge of a rice field I grabbed a few shots of the Heron slowly poking around for small prey. Just about anything could be in there from small fish to Green Anole lizards. A Great Blue will eat anything.
This is a nice place to get photographs with a lush background. The rice field impoundment pond is up against a small hill here. We don’t have many hills (Lowcountry) around me.
Watching a Green Heron while surrounded by the ‘Lowcountry Perfume’. Pluff mud… completely unique to our marshes.
He was knee deep in the pluff so it was a slow go.
The water and mud move with small fish and insects getting there was his problem. Even a small Heron like this one can get stuck.
Part of the fun is to watch the dramatic flair these Herons bring to the hunt.
Charleston, South Carolina.
Something for a change of pace, photographs of the locals in monochrome.
They take on a different look, maybe more ominous, when outside the regular color images.
Being in the water most of the time the contrasts are little easier to work with.
The hard part is getting them in different poses. Not like they take direction very well.
Doesn’t get any better…
Best viewed large.
ACE Basin, South Carolina.
