Life in Honey Island Swamp

[Carl in Louisiana]

I tried to capture some of the wildlife and some of the swamp itself in hopes that it would make one feel as if they were there. It was an early start but the sun came up on us fast so some of these may be a little to bright of sun light but I had the opportunity to go and it is what it is. As always I welcome any C & C that would help me to improve upon my photography skills as well as PP skills. Any bird folks that can ID the birds please do.
#1

#2

#3

#4

#5 Hotdog anyone?

#6

#7

[phugiay]

These are beautiful pictures. I like #3 . Like the green color and the reflection. Thank you for sharing with us.

[jeeperman]

Nice series Carl, yes the light is a bit harsh but I would have went as well! Sometimes you just have to deal the best you can.

As for the birds.....the first looks to be a Warbler, I am guessing either a Wilson's or a Yellow Warbler. The second......I really am not sure but is similar to the birds in the Heron or Egret family I think.

[Carl in Louisiana]

These are beautiful pictures. I like #3 . Like the green color and the reflection. Thank you for sharing with us.

Thank You phugiay,
I am glad you enjoyed them and #3 I liked also. I have many more that I took but still working on them . I have some of the homes and camps on the West Pearl Rivir that I'll share later on.

[rtbaum]

I believe the first bird may be Prothonotary warbler, bird two is an anhinga.

[Carl in Louisiana]

Nice series Carl, yes the light is a bit harsh but I would have went as well! Sometimes you just have to deal the best you can.

As for the birds.....the first looks to be a Warbler, I am guessing either a Wilson's or a Yellow Warbler. The second......I really am not sure but is similar to the birds in the Heron or Egret family I think.

Thank You Paul,
Yea I am not sure of the proper name of them either. I know the one in #1 is called the million dollar bird here. Some professor from some foreign country came here to find this bird so he could say he saw it. Long story short he got lost in the swamp and a hugh search was launched for him. It ended up he was found safe and unharmed. It cost the local and federal agencies a million dollars all total.
The birds migrate here each year about the time the mayflies hatch and feast, and so many of them can be seen very easily if you talk to the right people who know them and see them every year and know where they can be found.
I guess I need to study up on the wildlife here so as to name them rightly. I know I take a lot of things for granted because I see them all the time.

[Carl in Louisiana]

I believe the first bird may be Prothonotary warbler, bird two is an anhinga.

Thank You Randy,
The guide told me the names of most of them but the gray matter has taken it's own course with my brain...lol

There is also a very large crane in the third image I didn't know I caught until I was PP the photos. He is up on a limb right over the center of the small channel and can only be seen when viewing the image in the largest setting in the light box.

[Steve S]

Nice series carl. I like 3 and 7 the best.

I wouldn't go near #4, that is one big moccasin.

[Carl in Louisiana]

Nice series carl. I like 3 and 7 the best.

I wouldn't go near #4, that is one big moccasin.

Thank You Steve,
It is a water snake and not deadly like the water moccasin, still would not want to be bitten by him though. It was one beautiful trip and will be doing it again in the near future hopefully. I have fished the west pearl river for many years but never wanted to venture too far from the main course. It is so easy to get lost in the swamps. The guides know the area very well, we went through some very small channels to get into some of the areas and it was just awesome.

[jprzybyla]

All your images show the swamp as a wonderful habitat for nature. That being said I wish your guide had not fed the alligator. In Florida where I live any alligator fed by humans is captured and destroyed. They loose their fear of humans and seek humans out for food. Just today in the newspapers in Florida there was an article saying that an alligator took off the hand of an airboat captain taking people out for tours. It didn't say if he was feeding the alligator at the time or not, but the alligator was captured, destroyed and then the hand removed from the stomach.

[Carl in Louisiana]

All your images show the swamp as a wonderful habitat for nature. That being said I wish your guide had not fed the alligator. In Florida where I live any alligator fed by humans is captured and destroyed. They loose their fear of humans and seek humans out for food. Just today in the newspapers in Florida there was an article saying that an alligator took off the hand of an airboat captain taking people out for tours. It didn't say if he was feeding the alligator at the time or not, but the alligator was captured, destroyed and then the hand removed from the stomach.

Thank You Joe,
Only the gators that are far back into the swamp do they feed and not much at all when they do. That far back into the swamp the guides are probably the only ones going in and they caution everyone to keep hands and limbs in the boats which are big and have high sides to them.
I understand what you are saying when it comes to those that are fed in public areas with lots of folks coming and going. In fact I had to stop fishing in an area that I liked very much because I had two, a ten and a twelve foot gators following me in a ten foot aluminum boat, not much protection against such brutes as they were.