Friday, November 20, 2009

Darter swallows up slippery catch



Australasian Darter (Anhinga novehollandiae) shows how to go about catching a fish after catching a fish at Tyto today. Not as easy as it looks.







But all's well that ends swallowed.


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18 comments:

  1. AndyNovember 20, 2009 at 2:07 PM

    WOW!
    What a great sequence you captured...stunning.

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  2. mickNovember 20, 2009 at 3:29 PM

    Wow indeed! Plus I had a chuckle over it all - all that effort and juggling for one small fish!

    ReplyDelete
  3. MosuraNovember 20, 2009 at 3:33 PM

    Well done! A great catch for both of you.

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  4. SnailNovember 20, 2009 at 5:14 PM

    That bird makes juggling a catfish seem like a doddle! I think I'll leave it to the experts.

    Great sequence.

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  5. BoobookNovember 20, 2009 at 6:51 PM

    Great series. I wonder how many they need in one day.

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  6. BoobookNovember 20, 2009 at 6:53 PM

    And how did he find that fish under all the azolla (or whatever that pondweed is)?

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  7. Tyto TonyNovember 20, 2009 at 9:58 PM

    Thanks Andy.

    Even more effort than you'd think, Mick: 30-40 or so juggles.

    Thanks Alan.

    Hi Bronwen: Don't think catfish would be on Darter's menu. Bit spiny, aren't they?

    Hi Boobook: Seems enough light gets through for Darters and Cormorants to see fish. The pool is only knee-deep.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Denis WilsonNovember 20, 2009 at 10:30 PM

    Hi Tony
    .
    At the risk of giving you a swollen head, Tony, let me add my congratulations, too.
    Great sequence.
    .
    I always thought they swallowed fish head first, to deal with the spines.
    .
    Seemingly not!
    Cheers
    Denis

    ReplyDelete
  9. Tyto TonyNovember 21, 2009 at 12:25 PM

    Hi Denis: Head-first usually, but not so vital if fish lacks dorsal spines, as seems case with swallowed species (whatever it is: fish, like many things in nature, are largely a mystery to me).

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  10. GouldiaeNovember 23, 2009 at 6:09 AM

    Great set Tony.
    Sort of thing I'd feel lucky to see with the naked eye, let alone get some shots of - brilliant.
    Gouldiae.

    ReplyDelete
  11. LarryDecember 3, 2009 at 3:56 PM

    What an incredible series Tony. I love that second shot, by itself you might think the fish got away but not today.

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  12. jasonDecember 4, 2009 at 4:58 AM

    Exceptional! And you had it right: how to catch a fish after catching a fish. Great photos!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Gunnar EngblomDecember 4, 2009 at 10:23 AM

    I join in with the congratulations of this great sequence. Good work.

    Gunnar Engblom, Lima, Peru

    ReplyDelete
  14. Jan Axel & GlorielaDecember 4, 2009 at 1:51 PM

    W O W !

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  15. Tyto TonyDecember 4, 2009 at 2:40 PM

    Thanks a lot, Jason, Gunnar and Jan.

    ReplyDelete
  16. flowergirlDecember 4, 2009 at 11:33 PM

    Yes, they do that a lot dont they?! Wonderful birds to photograph and also just look at.

    By the way, is that red stuff the azolla fern?

    Do check out my darter sries when you have the time and inclination!

    http://madraswanderer.blogspot.com/2009/02/bird-that-craved-for-ramp.html

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  17. Tyto TonyDecember 5, 2009 at 8:51 PM

    Hi flowergirl: Indeed it is azolla. Liked your Darter series and its tailpiece of pictures showing fish on way to being swallowed.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Jason KesslerDecember 11, 2009 at 8:21 AM

    Excellent!

    ReplyDelete

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