Most of the bigger birds I’ve watched nesting gather sticks off the ground or take easily snapped dead limbs for their nesting materials.
Anhingas prefer live branches.
It may have something to do with their feet and ability to land in live trees.
This fellow wasn’t having much luck and dropped at least one branch in the water below.
He made an empty trip back to the nest but pretty quickly returned to try again.
Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, Charleston, SC
February 23, 2023
Great photos of these birds, especially in their breeding plumage with their turquoise eyes!
Thanks, Sam, that turquoise really adds to the breeding snazzy look. At least to us humans 😄
Determined bird. It looks like an arrow soaring through the air. Ver nice, Ellen!
Determined, indeed! And they are quite graceful flyers despite their rather awkward shape.