BROWN BOOBIES

Kevin Savoie had a fantastic find last Thursday and these guys are still hanging around. Brown Boobies are not supposed to be in Louisiana but apparently nobody told them.

The three Brown Boobies from afar.

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The Three Amigos sitting on their 'Christmas Tree'.

What do you think of their blue eyes?

We go a bit close. They flew away and landed on another 'Christmas Tree' nearby. We thanked them for their hospitality, left and bid these far away guests adieu.

I hope they realize that Duck Season is around the corner so they need to be careful. :)

One more

AMERICAN BITTERN

My personal 'Ghost Bird' f-i-n-a-l-l-y made his debut after many years of looking.

This slow moving sometimes statuesque guy with his remarkable camouflage typically stays hidden in the cover of dense reed beds making him difficult to see as pictured below.

How easy would it be to miss this guy as he peers from the dense vegetation?

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If discovered / alarmed, an American Bittern freezes in his tracks and stands motionless with his bill pointed straight into the air thereby blending in with the reeds. He is a true master of disguise and interestingly enough as large as he is he only weighs about a pound.

As luck would have it this guy came skulking through the dense marsh vegetation searching for food and stepped into an opening . After remaining motionless for quite some time this stealth hunter slowly eased up on a frog and picked him off with a sudden strike of his bill.

How do you like this guy's hairdo?  :)

Below is a short video clip of the American Bittern disappearing into the dense marsh vegetation to dine in privacy after catching the frog. This slow and deliberate guy with his excellent camouflage vanishes from view seemingly right before your very eyes. Sorry for the slight out-of-focus clip.

Left-click on the arrow below to view the short video clip

Hope you enjoyed the narration and pics of this not often seen bird

Best,
'Tom

A MOUTHFUL OF CATFISH

Have you ever wondered what Cormorants do while swimming in the water? Yes, they are hunting for food and take a look at what this one caught. Look at the size of this Catfish. Can it swallow the whole thing?

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Down the hatch! He swallowed the entire Catfish complete with its spiny fins! I hope he has some Peptobismol.

Great Blue Herons are fond of Catfish as well. :)

SPECKLEBELLY GOOSE

Can you relate to the picture below?

Several distant geese are spotted on a cold winter day. One is recognized one as a Specklebelly. You grab your Speck call dangling from a lanyard on your neck, press it gently to your lips and let go with a high-pitched rattle. You know this trophy bird is wary and highly prized among all geese. The geese veer toward your decoys as you hoped. You hunker down in your blind peering through the Roseau cane clutching your shotgun without movement for fear of alarming the geese. Each flap of their wings brings them closer to your goose set. The sting of the bitter cold is no longer felt. Every nerve in your body is alive as the geese begin their downward descent. Their wings are back, their necks are outstretched and their landing gears are down. It's show time. Shoot em! You rise up, shoulder your shotgun and swing to the lead goose. The bead of your shotgun is on the Speck and your squeeze the trigger. You feel the recoil of the shotgun and don't even hear the sound of the shotgun as the Speck crumples and and plummets downward. Three shots fired and two geese on the ground. A great start for the day and a good supper tonight!

Hope you enjoy the narration / picture.

Best,
Tom

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Snow Geese are good too! What do you think about the position of the feet for the Snow Goose on the right? :)