Tag Archives: Bird in Flight

Mourning Dove In Dead Tree

I wasn’t sure what this bird was at first, but his postion in a dead tree made an interesting image.

Mourning Dove in Dead Tree
Mourning Dove in Dead Tree

Mourning Doves are fast when they take off, and I don’t think I ever got an image of one in flight before.

Mourning Dove in Dead Tree
Mourning Dove in Dead Tree

He had flight skills to show off, too.

Mourning Dove in Dead Tree
Mourning Dove in Dead Tree

Did I say fast? And also they are prone to changing their flight plan as they go, so tracking him didn’t pan out so well. But he was looking right at me as he went by.

Mourning Dove in Flight
Mourning Dove in Flight

Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, SC
August 21, 2023

Brown Pelican In Flight

It was a little too windy for this Brown Pelican to just glide over the water…

Brown Pelican Flying Low Over Water
Brown Pelican Flying Low Over Water

…he was working it the whole way I watched him across the harbor.

Brown Pelican Flying Low Over Water
Brown Pelican Flying Low Over Water

Baby Pelican Cruise with Coastal Expeditions, leaving from Daniel Island on the Wando River side down to Charleston Harbor and the New Crab Bank just off Shem Creek.

Other posts from this adventure 

Charleston Harbor, SC
June 23, 2023

Brown Pelican, Nest Material

Brown Pelican  nests don’t amount to much and if this is all you can deliver at one time it is a good thing.

Brown Pelican Flying In With Nesting Material
Brown Pelican Flying In With Nesting Material

I try to avoid “the hand of man” in my nature images, but the closeness of this sign  and the blurred boat above show how intimately entwined these birds are with humans.

Brown Pelican Bring Mate Nesting Material
Brown Pelican Bring Mate Nesting Material

Hmm, which one is MY mate?

Brown Pelican Bring Mate Nesting Material
Brown Pelican Bring Mate Nesting Material

A very delicate pass-off maneuver with those big beaks.

Success!

Brown Pelican Bring Mate Nesting Material
Brown Pelican Bring Mate Nesting Material

The bird on the nest didn’t get up so I suspect there might already be eggs or new chicks under her. From a bobbing boat you don’t always get to see the full story.

Brown Pelican Bring Mate Nesting Material
Brown Pelican Bring Mate Nesting Material

Baby Pelican Cruise with Coastal Expeditions, leaving from Daniel Island on the Wando River side down to Charleston Harbor and the New Crab Bank just off Shem Creek.

Other posts from this adventure 

Charleston Harbor, SC
June 23, 2023

Brown Pelican Dropping In

In one of the passes we made on the boat tour past Castle Pinkney I noticed this pair of adult Brown Pelicans resting in a Palm Tree. There didn’t seem room for a third, but he made it work.

Brown Pelican Landing in Palm Tree
Brown Pelican Landing in Palm Tree
Brown Pelican Landing in Palm Tree
Brown Pelican Landing in Palm Tree
Brown Pelican Landing in Palm Tree
Brown Pelican Landing in Palm Tree, Laughing Gull Cruising By
Brown Pelican Landing in Palm Tree
Brown Pelican Landing in Palm Tree
Brown Pelican Landing in Palm Tree
Brown Pelican Landing in Palm Tree
Brown Pelican Landing in Palm Tree
Brown Pelican Landing in Palm Tree

Baby Pelican Cruise with Coastal Expeditions, leaving from Daniel Island on the Wando River side down to Charleston Harbor and the New Crab Bank just off Shem Creek.

Other posts from this adventure 

Charleston Harbor, SC
June 23, 2023

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks are Back

I had been wondering if we would see Black-bellied Whistling Ducks in South Carolina this year; they only starting migrating here from Florida in the last few years.

Last year it was May and June when I got pictures of them last year, although not at Magnolia Plantation & Gardens.

On Saturday, in the fog, there they were! Five of them just standing around in a tree in one of Magnolia’s recently cleared swamp areas.

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks
Black-bellied Whistling Ducks

This morning not far from the above picture these two were soaking up the sun on an Alligator Ramp.

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks on Alligator Ramp
Black-bellied Whistling Ducks on Alligator Ramp

A mother Wood Duck and her brood paddled on by.

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks on Alligator Ramp
Black-bellied Whistling Ducks on Alligator Ramp

Whistling Ducks are cavity nesters like the Wood Ducks, and may use some of the man-made nest boxes or the tree cavities recently used by the Wood Ducks.

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks on Alligator Ramp
Black-bellied Whistling Ducks on Alligator Ramp

I continued on my path and got a little closer view before these two flew off.

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks on Alligator Ramp
Black-bellied Whistling Ducks on Alligator Ramp

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
April 15, 2023 & April 20, 2023

Ballet Over Water, And a Tango

This series was taken just after the sun came up a few weeks ago.

Great Egret Hovering Over Pond
Great Egret Hovering Over Pond

There were long shadows on the pond and the light was changing rapidly.

Great Egret Hovering Over Pond
Great Egret Hovering Over Pond, Anhinga Perched on Alligator Ramp

Two to Tango:  A brief territorial spat…

Great Egret Pair Hovering Over Pond
Great Egret Pair Hovering Over Pond

While one Great Egret circled around…

Great Egret Hovering Over Pond
Great Egret Hovering Over Pond

…the other opted to fly off.

Great Egret Hovering Over Pond and Alligator
Great Egret Flying Off and Alligator Swimming By

Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, Charleston, SC
February 23, 2023

Ballet Over Water: Great Egret

I only know from watching a successful try at this hovering maneuver that this Great Egret’s intention was to catch a fish.

Great Egret Over Water
Great Egret Over Water
Great Egret Over Water
Great Egret Over Water
Great Egret Over Water
Great Egret Over Water
Great Egret Over Water
Great Egret Over Water

Nothing caught his eye on this pass and he never touched the water. After about a four second hover he flew to a tree.

Great Egret Over Water
Great Egret Over Water

Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, Charleston, SC
March 5, 2023

Anhinga Gathering Nest Material

Most of the bigger birds I’ve watched nesting gather sticks off the ground or take easily snapped dead limbs for their nesting materials.

Anhinga Gathering Nest Material
Anhinga Gathering Nest Material

Anhingas prefer live branches.

Anhinga Feet
Anhinga Feet

It may have something to do with their feet and ability to land in live trees.

Anhinga Gathering Nest Material
Anhinga Gathering Nest Material

This fellow wasn’t having much luck and dropped at least one branch in the water below.

Anhinga Gathering Nest Material
Anhinga Gathering Nest Material

He made an empty trip back to the nest but pretty quickly returned to try again.

Anhinga Flying
Anhinga Flying

Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, Charleston, SC
February 23, 2023