Catching Up With Those South Carolina Birds – Part 3
I’m still perusing back through my South Carolina birds images taken this past January to March and have a few more favorites to share.
Double-breasted Cormorants drying their wings
I happen to see again where Brown Pelicans took advantage of a Double-breasted Cormorant’s hard work fishing, by stealing his catch.
Brown Pelicans stealing a flabbergasted Double-crested Cormorant’s catch
The one Brown Pelican looked on while the other proceeded to swallow the stolen fish. You can see the fish’s shape in the Pelican’s pouch as he shifts it around to swallow it whole.
Unfortunately I over-exposed on these next two shots but I still love the reflections.
Great Egret
Great Egret
I had so many photogenic opportunities with the Brown Pelicans. They were very entertaining and I had a lot of fun with them. Here’s another photo of the many I shared these past couple months.
Brown Pelican lookin’ pretty
I’ll end here, but it looks like I have a few more birds from South Carolina to create one more post in the near future. 🙂
Photos by Donna 
Wonderful images, Donna! Did you know that in China some fishermen used to train cormorants to catch fish for them?
Thanks Hien! No I did not know that. Poor fellas, they’ve always had someone steeling from them! 😉
Check this out: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cormorant_fishing
Thanks for the link! Poor Cormorant, with a noose to keep it from swallowing, how awful. But also how creative the Chinese and others were in using this as a fishing method.
Terrific photos Donna. Cheeky pelicans😏
A cheeky thanks, Belinda! 🙂
Fantastic photos, Donna. I was captivated by the steal-fishing series. The cormorant who’s just been bamboozled, the huge size of the fish, the swallowing of the fish whole, and the piggishness of the pelican who didn’t share. lol. This was a really great story to watch unfold, thank you.
Thank you Jet! That poor Cormorant really did look flabbergasted, and just watched his fish go down that Pelicans throat. I’ve even seen Gulls try to swoop a fish from the Cormorant. They really have it tough, first catching a fish, and then having to watch out for a thief!
Beautiful shots!!! I love pelicans. Poor cormorant tho…. 😊
Thanks Kelly! I found the Pelicans to be so much fun and very photogenic so I had a lot of fun with them. But I did feel bad for the Cormorant too. 🙂
LOL! Me too….he did all the hard work for what looked like a giant catch for him. He should learn to avoid those bullies! 😉
Agree! 😉
Awesome reflection Donna.
Thank you, Alix!
My turn to come and tell you that your bird pictures are excellent. I always enjoy them…Today, I particularly enjoyed the great egret and its reflections in the water…(Suzanne)
Thanks Suzanne! I enjoy capturing birds, in action if possible. The egret was approaching me while I was on a fishing pier. He was so close, I had to move back to fit him in my frame. What fun for me! And only happy travels for you both!
I loved all of the shots. My favorites, Great Egret’s reflections! Thanks Donna. 🙂
Thank you, HJ! I wish I hadn’t blown out the white, but I was glad he was focused to get the reflection so nicely. 🙂
It’s amazing that the pelican can swallow a fish that large!
You aren’t kidding!!! 🙂
I loved all these wonderful images of the birds that you saw in SC!
Thank you, Jerry! 🙂
Excellent series of pictures and a good story too.
Thank you, Tom! 🙂
Beautiful reflections shots Donna 😊 Interesting that your pelicans steal from cormorants in the same way as ours do. They are very creative in the various means they use to fish, so they survive in large numbers even inland areas. Have a wonderful week my friend 😊
Thank you, Ashley! I loved the Pelicans. We have very few midway up the Chesapeake Bay where I have lived most my life, and I was always excited to see them down south. I’ve seen them get vicious with each other at times but hadn’t known they were creative enough to steal from others. Smart bird! 🙂 Enjoy your week as well!!
Nice captures, Donna! Great reflections on the egret images.
Thank you, Ellen! 🙂
Have to feel sorry for the poor cormorant. Somehow I never imagined pelican stealing fish. Loved the Egret reflections. That first one looks like he’s trying to slurp up his reflection, but the droplets of water in the second image is pretty cool!
I felt sorry for him too. The Pelicans continued to follow the Cormorant around, waiting for him to pop back up hopefully with another fish. And that Egret, he walked right up below me at a fishing pier, oh so pretty. 🙂 Thank you, Gunta!
very fine photos
Thank you very much!
Both and that Pelican had good timing on this day; you to get the shot of it with a fish, and that Pelican nabbing that fish. 🙂
The reflections of the Great Egret are lovely!
Thank you Deborah, a good right place right time and ready moment for sure on all of them! 🙂
Fabulous
Thank you!
I love the pelican photos where you can see the fish in his gullet – sure doesn’t look comfortable. The reflection photos are beautiful!
Thank you, Susan! As you know from your trips, the Pelicans are really quite photogenic. Can you imagine having them around Kent Island all the time, hanging out at Fisherman’s Crab Deck?!! 🙂
That was a big catch. Great detail in these photos and they tell a story of the one that got (taken) away.Pelicans are huge, and I read a story recently that told of a pelican that landed on a person. i could do without that experience.
I didn’t realize myself how smart the Pelicans were. Your Pelican story of one landing on a person (Yikes!), there was a recent golfing event where a Canada Goose literally flew into the game and attacked a golfer, knocking him to the ground. Guess we need to watch out for more than poop bombs, lol. 🙂
Ha Ha! Nature is getting back at us! I found the article and it was two brown pelicans landing on people at a graduation ceremony at a university in California http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5674987/Two-giant-birds-disrupt-graduation-ceremony-California-swooping-landing-guests.html
Love it, that is hilarious! How’d I miss that happening a few weeks ago??!!!! Thanks for sharing, Jane!
Terrific sequence – I’ve never ever managed to get pelican shots like these! RH
Thank you, RH! I’ve never had better Pelican photo opportunities than this time at Murrell’s Inlet in South Carolina, it was really a lot of fun, I kept going back for more!
Nice blog and great captures! I initially noticed your “birds battle for fish” capture. Fascinating, unlucky for the cormorant,it looks like the pelican was the victor. Very unlucky for the fish I guess!
Still looks like a huge fish they caught (do you know what type?) here! The pelican really managed to gulp the fish all the way down okay? Does the fish put up a good fight (can you see it thrashing about inside the pouch?) and I wonder if it stands any slim chance of damaging the birds stomach or even escaping it if eaten in that condition?! Also, does the bird manage to digest its unlucky prey bones and all?? Sorry for all the questions, but thanks for the feedback/information! 😉
Thank you, Kyle! Yes, the pelican and cormorant both swallow the fish whole. Their throats and bodies have both protection and crushing features to digest the whole fish, bones and all!