The male Anhingas have been showing off as they get ready for breeding season. The blue-green coloration around their eyes is very pronounced and I’ve seen them displaying their wings in dramatic poses.
This male was in a tree above the pond-side trail flashing his wings. I didn’t see any females nearby and he soon took off with a flourish.
He didn’t go far, landing in a nearby tree that already has a Great Blue Heron nest and several Great Egret nests.
March 10, 2019
I never get tired of watching this scene unfold:
The catch
The flip
Down the hatch
It’s gone
This was a tiny meal for an Anhinga and I have no idea how they locate such a fish while swimming under water. See my post Anhinga Feeding from two years ago to see how big a fish they are capable of swallowing.
I had hopes that these three American Coots would synchronize their swimming direction or angle for a portrait composition.
They circled, they zigged and zagged, they separated and came back together, but an organized group shot was not to be.
Eventually they did all turn their heads in the same direction, almost.
Small and chunky, the Pied-billed Grebe always looks like a baby-faced juvenile to me.
Last week several of them were swimming in the rice field canal. Saltbrush seeds from shrubs that lined the bank were drifting over the water.
The lowering late afternoon light and growth on the opposite bank changed the look of the water as I proceeded down the canal.
Further along the Saltbrush seeds looked like sparkly feathers floating on the water. Saltbrush, Baccharis halimifolia, is a woody shrub or small tree in the Asteraceae family, and is also known as Groundsel.
I hear Common Gallinules more often than see them. Per All About Birds they “make all sorts of chicken-like clucks, whinnies, cackles, squawks, and yelps.” Needless to say, many a birder has jumped when that racket starts, often accompanied by one or more Gallinules running across the water to safety. I often refer to them as the early warning system for other ducks and wildlife I might have been hoping to see.
These images were taken on different days, but in the same area. The stump in the image above is newly sticking out of the water as the rice field pond has been drained for repairs.
The red bill in the image below looks almost like fake plastic, but that is how they look. Bald Eagles will stalk Gallinules in this pond and I wonder how that beacon of red appears to them.
A flock of Double-crested Cormorants was hanging out on a dead tree that has fallen into a pond on a recent sunny afternoon. When I first spotted them my view of the group was blocked by reeds, but this one had found a higher perch.
As I worked my way along the bank I saw these two were having a squabble.
One exited with a big flap while the rest ignored him. You can see the bird from my first image near the top, towards the left.
As I rounded the end of the pond I was able to get a view from a different angle and closer to the water.
With a wingspan of 95 to 115 inches (244-290 cm), the American White Pelican is one of the largest birds in North America. It’s quite amazing to have one fly right over you!
For such a big bird they make a remarkably delicate landing, with very little splash.
My, what big feet you have!
Brown Pelicans will land on almost anything around the dock, including this shrimp boat rigging, and somehow their feet adapt. This one is looking down into the creek, alert for any chances at lunch.
This Anhinga was performing his drying ritual fairly close to the dike. Hoping he wouldn’t fly I took this from the car, which limited my angle. This was the shadowy end of the pond and I didn’t capture much color, but of course I liked the reflection.
I was intrigued by the frame the shrimp boat rigging made around this Brown Pelican and was hoping for a view that included his massive feet.
What I got was a goofy view of him stretching out his throat pouch…
and his neck.
Just because they can, I guess.
