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CATCHIN' CRABS
SELF
| March 24, 2011
| swampsniper
Posted on 03/24/2011 2:31:23 PM PDT by SWAMPSNIPER
At low tide the mudflats of the saltmarsh will have large areas covered by colonies of little Fiddler crabs, the males busy waving the larger of their claws to lure females to his burrow. Fiddler crabs dig down a foot or so, the burrow curves as it descends.
The White Ibis has a curving beak, how convenient is that?
It was about high tide when I got to the marsh, this White Ibis was the only moving thing in sight. It was putting down those Fiddlers like popcorn. The Ibis are pairing off ready to nest now, but this one was all alone and pigging out, it obviously hasn't heard what Michelle has been saying..
It kept going behind little Black Mangroves and messing up my shots. I close cropped one so the Fiddler is visible. The little lumps and dark spots on the visible mud are burrows and material the crabs bring out when they dig.
There are places in this marsh where you would be stuck in the mud to your armpits but the Ibis has big feet.
White Ibis, Eudocimus albus
TOPICS: Arts/Photography; Chit/Chat; Outdoors
KEYWORDS: bird; crab; fl; florida; photo
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To: SWAMPSNIPER
I love your pics, SS!
Do you have a ping list, or did I already ask that?
21
posted on
03/24/2011 5:20:28 PM PDT
by
FrogMom
(There is no such thing as an honest democrat!)
To: FrogMom
22
posted on
03/24/2011 5:21:57 PM PDT
by
SWAMPSNIPER
(The Second Amendment, A Matter of Fact, Not a Matter of Opinion)
To: tubebender; SWAMPSNIPER
Or one of those big guys for a teryaki barbecue?
If ole tubebender would quit sending snow over here, I’d be
tempted to break out the nikkors. A guy just can’t catch a
break sometimes.
23
posted on
03/24/2011 5:46:44 PM PDT
by
glock rocks
(I am Dyslexis of Borg. Your ass will be laminated.)
To: SWAMPSNIPER
Wow, great shots, SS! I keep trying to take photos just half a good as yours, but I have never succeeded. Thank you for sharing all your wonderful ‘work’ with us.
24
posted on
03/24/2011 5:57:05 PM PDT
by
onemiddleamerican
(FUBO and all your terrorist buddies)
To: SWAMPSNIPER
25
posted on
03/24/2011 6:08:57 PM PDT
by
kalee
(The offences we give, we write in the dust; Those we take, we engrave in marble. J Huett 1658)
To: kalee
26
posted on
03/24/2011 6:13:43 PM PDT
by
SWAMPSNIPER
(The Second Amendment, A Matter of Fact, Not a Matter of Opinion)
To: SWAMPSNIPER
Thank you for sharing your backyard......
27
posted on
03/24/2011 6:19:41 PM PDT
by
Kimmers
(Tell a lie often enough it becomes political........)
To: SWAMPSNIPER
Thank you for sharing your backyard......
28
posted on
03/24/2011 6:19:49 PM PDT
by
Kimmers
(Tell a lie often enough it becomes political........)
To: SWAMPSNIPER
29
posted on
03/24/2011 6:21:53 PM PDT
by
kalee
(The offences we give, we write in the dust; Those we take, we engrave in marble. J Huett 1658)
To: glock rocks
We had a break in the rain Monday so we bbqed Fresh Banana Slugs
30
posted on
03/24/2011 6:22:30 PM PDT
by
tubebender
(Now hiring Tag Line writers. Full time low pay)
To: SWAMPSNIPER
31
posted on
03/24/2011 6:24:15 PM PDT
by
Celtic Cross
(Some minds are like cement; thoroughly mixed up and permanently set...)
To: SWAMPSNIPER
32
posted on
03/24/2011 6:25:30 PM PDT
by
Vendome
("Don't take life so seriously... You'll never live through it anyway")
To: tubebender; SWAMPSNIPER
Yah, we hid under the deck and q’d some Louisana hot sausage, and had it with some red beans and rice and green beans. I will tell you what. It’s warm now. Dang fine photos there SWAMPSNIPER. Yer breakin tubebender’s heart, livin as he does down in fogland.
33
posted on
03/24/2011 6:26:13 PM PDT
by
glock rocks
(I am Dyslexis of Borg. Your ass will be laminated.)
To: SWAMPSNIPER
We don't have fiddler crabs where I live. The birds pig out on crawdads instead. Yellow crowned night herons like this one usually spin the crawdad in its beak causing the two big claws to be broken off. Takes about 30 seconds or less.
To: SWAMPSNIPER
Thank You SWAMPSNIPER for the ping to nature in your excellent photography. Appreciate it.
35
posted on
03/24/2011 7:12:25 PM PDT
by
rockinqsranch
(Dems, Libs, Socialists, call 'em what you will, they ALL have fairies livin' in their trees.)
To: rustbucket
Have you ever seen a Yellow Crowned use bait? They will find a scrap or a leaf, anything that might attract fish, drop it on the water and then just wait.
They are around here but stay way out in the marsh most of the time.
36
posted on
03/24/2011 7:32:22 PM PDT
by
SWAMPSNIPER
(The Second Amendment, A Matter of Fact, Not a Matter of Opinion)
To: SWAMPSNIPER
37
posted on
03/24/2011 8:48:15 PM PDT
by
pandoraou812
(You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you.)
To: SWAMPSNIPER
Reminds me of a girl I used to know...
38
posted on
03/24/2011 9:22:06 PM PDT
by
Ramius
(Personally, I give us... one chance in three. More tea?)
To: SWAMPSNIPER
I've never seen a Yellow Crowned use bait. They are the premier crawdad catchers around here though, although I've seen Grebes, Ibis, and even American Kestrels catch crawdads. I usually try to go on a picture taking expedition in late May or early June when the crawdads are in shallow water and apparently easy for the birds to catch.
Snowy Egrets vibrate their feet in shallow water to scare prey (crawdads, minnows, tadpoles, small fish) and make them move. That's a wicked looking beak on the Snowy below.
To: rustbucket
Snowy Egrets are beautiful but they're agressive little demons, I've seen the males fight over territory and it gets bloody.
When I worked with wildlife rescue I learned oretty quick to cover the head on any egret or heron first, when they get scared they go right for your eyes. A beak in the eye could kill you, sure would take an eye out. I lost several good shirts if that is all I happened to have to throw over them.
40
posted on
03/24/2011 10:18:01 PM PDT
by
SWAMPSNIPER
(The Second Amendment, A Matter of Fact, Not a Matter of Opinion)
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