Category Archives: Water Birds

Do Birds Play Chicken?

June 9, 2018 Ellen Jennings 2 Comments

Alligators follow their instincts when they hear a splash in the water…lets go check it out.

An Anhinga had jumped into the pond and was swimming with his head up. First one then two Alligators were in hot pursuit.

I was too far away to really see what was happening. In fact I probably shouldn’t have bothered with these images with the glare on the water, but it was like watching a train wreck. I’m not sure if this churning of the water was the two Alligators having a spat or if the bird had ducked under and the gators lunged.

The Alligators backed away a bit then the Anhinga popped up between them then leisurely swam along as if he were alone. A minute or two later they all lost interest and went their separate ways.

Click on images for larger view.

Water Birds

Tree Anhingas

May 30, 2018 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

On two recent afternoons several Anhingas gathered in this Cypress Tree on one of the rookery islands.

There were at least five Anhinga nests on the island this spring, and probably more that I couldn’t see based on the activity. The two lower birds in the next image may be young from one of those nests.

A Little Blue Heron and two juvenile Great Blue Herons can also be seen in the wider view. Those two GBH had not fledged yet but sure were curious about the flights of other birds.

Water Birds

Canada Goose

May 25, 2018 Ellen Jennings 4 Comments

A few Canada Geese were making their presence known with some squawking and flapping. This one skidding across the pond was taking issue with something. Several pairs had young in the area and others, along with some ducks, were just hanging around seemingly minding their own business. But who knows how a goose feels about that?

Canada Goose Landing — Canada Goose – click for larger view

Juvenile Birds, Water Birds

Canada Goose Goslings

May 23, 2018 Ellen Jennings 4 Comments

A Canada Goose family was wandering through the edge of the cypress swamp, with the goslings foraging for food under the watchful eyes of their parents.

It was a cloudy morning and there was a full canopy above us so the images had a very high ISO. I reduced the noise and clarity which gave the youngsters a soft look that I found appealing.

They stayed surprisingly close to the boardwalk even as we approached, but before long the adults steered their charges back into the water.

Click on any image for a larger view.

Water Birds

Pelican Air Ballet

February 8, 2018 Ellen Jennings 2 Comments

A fellow photographer spotted the Pelicans at quite a distance when we stopped to view some ducks along Black Point Wildlife Drive. We watched them approach for what seemed like several minutes but probably was only 30 seconds, hoping they would land in the pond in front of us.

Instead they treated us to an amazing aerial ballet, with the birds shifting position in the group, breaking apart and reforming, in an elegant flight display.

The American White Pelican is one of North America’s largest birds, with a wingspan from 8-10 feet (2.5-3 meters)!

As they glided by I could see that the individual birds adjusted their altitude as well as their flock position and no matter how close they got to each other there was no evidence of an in-flight bump.

Photographed at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Florida.

Click photos for larger view.

Water Birds

Tundra Swans Taking Off

February 2, 2018 Ellen Jennings 5 Comments

We went back to Bear Island Wildlife Management Area for another try at seeing the Tundra Swans taking off from their overnight resting spot. We couldn’t get very close but we did get to see, and hear, a few.

These swans can weigh up to 23 pounds (10 Kilos) so getting into the air takes a huge effort and considerable runway distance.

The noise of the flapping of their wings echoing across the pond first alerted me. The ducks and other swans behind them paid no attention.

Bear Island Wildlife Management Area, 1/24/2018