Big Gulp~

On By cindy knokeIn Birds, Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, Patagonia, REVERIES, TRAVEL REVIEWS, Wild Life


This cormorant seems to have caught,

more than he can swallow!

His mother obviously never taught him, not to gulp his food.

The Snowy Egrets,


also seem to bite off more than they can chew,

but there is lots of determination,


to eat what you catch,

no matter how hard it is,

to swallow!


Cheers to you from the very well fed Cormorants & Egrets~

169 thoughts on “Big Gulp~”

  2. Amazing pics Cindy – how do you get that close to these birds (I have photographed both cormorants and egrets, the former plentifully, in my time, but have never been able to get really close to them)? My camera has a powrful zoom lens which is quite good at overcoming distance, but these shots are sensational.

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    1. Ahhh, honored, and so kind of you Thomas. Thank you. I have an inner magnet towards birds. I stand really still and quiet, and always have my camera glued to my face, so I think they get confused and think I may not be human.

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        1. Yes, you can see in this post which photos were taken of the same bird by the same food being consumed, but the third cormorant for example, is not the same bird as the first two. When I post birds, I try and look at all the photos I have of a particular species and the story evolves from that. My brain is somehow wired towards birds and I am always noticing them, even when driving. I think I am bird brained……

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  7. Your post is fit for a fine picture story book and not just for little children. A delight to go through your amazing photos of the greedy commorants and egrets, Cindy!

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    1. It was quite amazing sailing from SoCal around the horn. I was able to photograph different cormorant subtypes from each ecosystem and their subtle changes as we headed further and further south. There are no cormorants in Antarctica, but in the Beagle Channel there are cormorants that look just like penguins.

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  13. It looks like that fish got stuck in the cormorant’s throat – ouch!

    Also, Cindy, just wanted to let you know that your last comment on my blog was posted as spam for some unknown reason. Sorry about that. Anyway, I fixed it.

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    1. Thanks Robert. That happens with WP I’ve noticed. I read an article by Sanjay Gupta today on CNN that made me think of you and some of our prior discussions. Check it out.

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  20. Our last house was on a lake and we used to watch the egrets catch fish and eat them. Sometimes they were trying to swallow huge fish – it was painful to watch.

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      1. I first heard this phrase when some American friends stayed with us who also went to O’Reillies for a 3 day bird safari. I think you are booked to go there… 🦅

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        1. Yes, we have reservations for O’Reilly’s. Here is what Wiki, who knows all, say about twitcher:
          Twitching is a British term used to mean “the pursuit of a previously located rare bird.” In North America it is more often called chasing, though the British usage is starting to catch on there, especially among younger birders. The term twitcher, sometimes misapplied as a synonym for birder, is reserved for those who travel long distances to see a rare bird that would then be ticked, or counted on a list.[2][5] The term originated in the 1950s, when it was used for the nervous behaviour of Howard Medhurst, a British birdwatcher. Prior terms for those who chased rarities were pot-hunter, tally-hunter, or tick-hunter. The main goal of twitching is often to accumulate species on one’s lists. Some birders engage in competition to accumulate the longest species list. The act of the pursuit itself is referred to as a twitch or a chase. A rare bird that stays put long enough for people to see it is twitchable or chaseable

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          1. I actualy thought it was a general term as well. My friends were true twitchers as they had the list they ticked off and they were very excited to see the lyre bird in action in Lamington National park when they went to O’Reillies

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  37. Thanks for the smiles, Cindy. Once in Florida I saw a bird that looked a lot like the first one… swallow a fish that went down sideways (in a huge way). He finally seemed to get it down, but had me worried! Hugs on the wing!

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    1. Ahhhh, so kind and so appreciated. Thank you! My photography is a hobby that I picked up at the same time I started blogging which is somewhere around 6 years ago. Hugs to you sweet person & thank you too <3 <3

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        1. Thank you my friend. It is a joy to know you. I bet we all have these hidden talents. We work, we focus on family and then we retire and have time to explore our creative selves. <3

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  39. It’s so funny to watch the kingfishers out my office window. They whack their trout on a branch then swallow it whole. Sometimes they swallow a fish nearly as large as they are while trying to avoid the magpies who also like fish.

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    1. Hilarious and I have seen exactly what you describe. One of my favorite photos is of a gull in Idaho capturing a trout that was bigger then he was, swallowing it so it distorted his neck grotesquely, and then flying off. If I didn’t have the photos, no one would believe me!

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  43. Firelands

    Wonderful photos. Amazing that you were able to capture these creatures in the act of feeding. Years ago, while hiking in Santee Canal Park near Charleston, SC, I came upon an alligator gulping down a snake. It was chilling, like an eating machine. Unfortunately, I did not have a camera, so missed getting photos like the great ones you’ve displayed here. Thanks for sharing.

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  58. Yikes Cindy–this makes me glad we get to eat people food!! And– we have cormorants and egrets in our parks here. Did you take these photos close to home?? It’s amazing the action you were able to get into your photos!! love it.

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  59. I love cormorants and egrets. There are both types of birds where I live on the SE coast of the UK. Those are brilliant shots of them fishing. My camera’s shutterspeed would never accommodate such grand shots, quite apart from the fact I don’t have telescopic lens, but have to depend upon a zoom lens which doesn’t produce the same clarity.

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    1. It is wonderful to experience familiar birds all over the planet, and as you mention, these birds are almost ubiquitous everywhere I go. It doesn’t stop me from fully enjoying watching them where ever I am. Thank you for your kind words Sarah and be well my friend <3

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