This Double-crested Cormorant took a long time showing off his catch, more than the usual maneuvers for easiest swallowing.
He did show off his flipping skills.
And catching.
After a few minutes I walked away and he was still paddling around with the fish.
Huntington Beach State Park, SC
November 9, 2021
Wood Storks often feed in packs, probing the water with their beaks and stirring up all manor of water creatures. It’s hard to say what it might be, but you can see the tiny size of the catch the closest bird is tossing.
An optical illusion here, of the first Wood Stork scratching the next one’s head.
The group wades along, often swallowing their prey without even lifting their heads.
Another small catch is visible as the left-most bird gives his snack a flip.
Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
October 29, 2021
A Little Blue Heron was fishing in the last trickle of water left in the lagoon at Magnolia Cemetery Pond: Water Out
The orange/red reflections from the end of the autumn leaves made an interesting scene from what was basically mud.
The Heron didn’t have much luck, but was very persistant.
Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, SC
December 3, 2021
Great Blue Heron with a good sized catch.
Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, SC
December 3, 2021
I spotted this Ring-billed Gull just before he hit the water.
There wasn’t much of a splash and the gull’s wings never went under the surface.
One powerful beat of his wings and he was up.
A small splash and he was away.
Wasting no time, he sped off before one of the other circling gulls or terns noticed his catch.
Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
December 25, 2021
I have almost these same images of four American White Ibis from last year in a different pond.
The White Ibis sharing their space mixed it up a little.
The White Pelicans are fascinating to watch as they shape-shift their positions from a straight line to a blob…
then back to a line as they follow the food.
All together now….
Donnelley Wildlife Management Area
November 14, 2021
The Bald Eagle, Flying By made a U-turn over the pond, then dropped down scaring off a Great Egret.
He was some distance from me and these aren’t sharp images, but you get the idea of the action that started feet first:
Hardly making a splash in the water.
Got a fish!
Then back to his tree to eat.
Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
October 29, 2021
The sun was low in the sky and cast a bright light on a small group of feeding White Ibis.
A few swamp sunflowers decorated their feeding area.
Ibis stay amazingly clean as they probe the mud.
Only his beak showed any sign of the local conditions.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
October 12, 2021
I’ve witnessed and photographed a Yellow-billed Kite feeding before, but it never gets old. Even if I once again didn’t get the actual snatching of the food as the handler tossed it high into the air.
Kites of all kinds grab their food with their feet while in flight then pass it to their mouths.
Imagine how much work it is to keep yourself fed this way.
The tossed beef pieces mimic the Kite’s natural diet of insects .
Yellow-billed Kite, Milvus aegyptius
Ted and I recently attended our fifth Photography Day at the Center for Birds of Prey in Awenda, SC. Photographers have an opportunity to take close-up images of a number of birds of prey as well as some flight demonstrations. As always the staff and volunteers provided a fun and educational experience.
The Center for Birds of Prey, Awenda, SC.
Photography Day, October 10, 2021
A very large spider web stretched across this opening looking out onto a rice field pond.
A couple of what I think are Black and Yellow Garden Spiders can be seen, along with several dragonflies that met their end in the web.
There’s more detail of the catch if you want to zoom in on the spider wrapping his prey.
Further along the dike another large spider had set up shop. I took the photo because I liked the leaf. When I processed the image I was amazed at the number of little items that had been snagged.
