Double-Crested Cormorants

During our swamp tour of the Cypress Island Preserve (Lake Martin) we saw numerous Double-crested Cormorants resting upon the bare branches of bald cypress trees.  These are the most common Cormorants in North America.  

Double-crested Cormorants are gregarious birds that are almost always near water. Their main two activities are fishing and resting, with more than half their day spent on the latter.  A cormorant’s diet is almost all fish, with just a few insects, crustaceans, or amphibians. They eat a wide variety of fish (more than 250 species have been reported), and they have impressive fishing technique: diving and chasing fish underwater with powerful propulsion from webbed feet.  

Cormorants often stand in the sun with their wings spread out to dry. They have less preen oil than other birds, so their feathers can get soaked rather than shedding water like a duck’s. Though this seems like a problem for a bird that spends its life in water, wet feathers probably make it easier for cormorants to hunt underwater with agility and speed.

Before a cormorant takes off in flight, it tends to stretch its neck in the direction it intends to fly. When it comes in for a landing, a cormorant will puff out the orange skin on its neck and, after touchdown, give a ritual little hop. If one cormorant encroaches on the space of another, such as in competition over a nest site, the cormorants will face off, stretch their necks, and open their mouths wide open to show off the blue color inside while shaking their heads and hissing at each other. To attract a mate for the season, a male cormorant will choose a nest site and then stand with his breast down and bill and tail up, showing off the crests on his head and bright colors of his neck and his eyes, grunting and slightly waving his outstretched wings. When a female arrives, she is greeted by the male opening his mouth into a gape, showing off the blue inside.  Information obtained from Cornell Lab of Ornithology online @ www.allaboutbirds.org.

Linked with Stewart for Wild Bird Wednesday

Thank you for visiting.  Have a great day!

Louisiana Swamp Tour, Part 3

These are the final photos of our swamp tour which we thoroughly enjoyed.  

I must do this again...

One of my favorite swamp photos

Great Blue Herons are commonly seen around the lake

Our tour guide informed us that this tree was estimated to be about 500 years old.

Louisiana designated bald cypress as the official state tree in 1963.

Bald cypress trees grow slowly.  Over a span of 200 years, they reach heights of about 150 feet.

The trees can survive from 600 to over 1,000 years.

Tupelo gum trees are also common in these wetlands.

The tour guide told us that the term “Don't let the bed-bugs bite,”
literally resulted from using Spanish Moss to stuff mattresses!

Alligator breeding area- off limits during a certain length of time each year

This gator is about 6 to 7 feet long.

They grow from 2" to 12" per year, depending upon their habitat.
Growth rates slow down as the reptile becomes older.

This female didn't want our presence in her sunning area.  

She's attractive- for a gator, that is.

I don't recall the name of these bright green plants- they're pretty but uncommon around the lake.

Some people choose to navigate the lake in a canoe.

Fishing is a popular sport in this area.  Good luck, Mister!

Wildflowers are common around the banks of the lake.

I thought these were lovely.

Thank you for touring along with me.  If you happened to miss the previous two parts of the tour, you can view Part 1 here and Part 2 here.  I will soon post more photos of the Double-crested Cormorants that are common around the lake.  

If you're interested in a swamp tour in Louisiana and you're in the Baton Rouge/Lafayette area, I highly recommend Champagne's Cajun Swamp Tours for their comfortable tour boats and knowledgeable guides. 

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Louisiana Swamp Tour, Part 2

Beautiful weather made our tour around Lake Martin even more enjoyable.  Temperatures were in the mid 70's with a consistent gentle breeze in the air.  It was a perfect day for being outdoors.  

Our tour guide, Mason, shared his knowledge of the lake and its plant and animal life.  He was very informative and kept conversation interesting with an occasional tale, local lore and rumors about the area.  Tourists were allowed plenty of time to take photographs and I took advantage of every opportunity possible.  

A determined turtle balanced himself atop a protruding log to soak in some sunlight.

A variety of plant life inhabits the swamp.

Duckweed causes the green, slimy appearance on the water's surface in some areas.

This young gator is about 2 feet long.

Many hatchlings fall prey to predators around them such as snakes, raccoons, otters and larger gators.

One of the "big boys", this adult male is about 14 feet long.

Being close to him made me a little nervous, but excited at the same time.

Another large gator swam nearby.

Some of the gators went under water as we passed through.  Others ignored us.

Huge duck blind?  I don't have a clue.

A couple enjoys fishing in Lake Martin.  Largemouth bass, crappie, bream and more are caught here.

I still don't have a clue...

My eyes scanned the tree tops and fallen logs for wildlife...

like these birds- Double-crested Cormorants.

Another Double-crested Cormorant and an unidentified small bird share a protruding branch.

I think I'd like to try a kayak ride.  It looks enjoyable.

An Osprey peered down from her nest.

She looked around a little while-

then made a flight loop and returned to her nest.

Tour boats can become stuck around logs and bogged in all the mushy vegetation. We had no problems.

Another gator slowly glides by.

This one is probably 8 to 9 feet long.

Alligators are cold-blooded and regulate their body temperature with their surroundings- sun or shade.

I hope you enjoyed Part 2 of our Louisiana Swamp Tour.  Since I have a few more photos to share, I'm going to post a Part 3.  I took over 300 photographs during our 2 hour swamp tour- that's nuts I know, but I like to have many to choose from.  Thank goodness for digital cameras!  

Look for Part 3 of our tour within a couple of days.  Click here to return to Part 1.  I'm going to share today's post with Eileen for Saturday's Critters.  Have a great afternoon!

Louisiana Swamp Tour, Part 1

I grew up in Louisiana, a state known for its lakes, swamps and the wildlife that inhabit them. I went on a lot of fishing and crabbing trips with my parents, but never a swamp tour.  I didn't have a clue of how much fun and photo opportunities I had been missing- until last weekend. I convinced my husband (who, by the way, has Cajun DNA) to take me to Lake Martin aka the Cypress Island Preserve in Louisiana.    I was only 9 days post-op knee surgery but I was about to go stir crazy. What harm could I do by simply riding in the car and standing for a few minutes here and there to shoot some photos?  

It was a little more difficult than I thought.  Standing in one spot trying to wait and focus on my subject was challenging, for sure.  After a little while of that, I resigned to taking my photos from inside the car, using the window for a camera prop.  That night, I read a brochure about the swamp tours in the area and knew that I'd have to try it.  Hubby tried to convince me to wait a few weeks until I was further along in recovery.  I considered his advice for a little while but my desire to take the swamp tour the next morning prevailed over safety precautions regarding my knee.  I chose to make reservations with Champagne's Cajun Swamp Tours because their tour boats appeared roomy and the chairs looked comfortable enough.  

Our tour was scheduled for 10:00 a.m.- I could hardly wait!

Champagne's Cajun Swamp Tours has a great reputation in the area.

The back deck and boat dock (Photo from tripadvisor.com)

Nice boats

A nice place to sit, relax and enjoy the view or a good book,

 or do some fishing off the bank, like this family.

Many of the birds enjoy fishing here as well (Great Egret).

Heading toward the marshland surrounding the lake-

I enjoyed the close up views of the bald cypress trees. 

Our first alligator sighting- his head and tail covered with swamp vegetation.

Many of the turtles soaked in the sun along downed logs.

Several people slowly meandered around the swamp in colorful kayaks.

Spanish moss dangles from the cypress trees and

gracefully sways in the light breeze, creating a sense of peace and serenity.

Water hyacinth densely populates large areas of the swamp.

Thick roots of the water hyacinth can be seen for several inches below the water's surface.

Small, round cones are produced by bald cypress trees.

Amazing how some plants can grow in the strangest places.

An alligator moved quietly along the water's surface

while another bathed in the morning sun.  

"Ahhh, this is the life"...

Don't be fooled-

he's well aware of his surroundings.

Several duck blinds are located in convenient areas around portions of the lake.

The water vegetation was more of a golden color on the opposite side of the lake,

and very dense in some areas.

I hope you enjoyed the first part of our swamp tour as much as I enjoyed writing about it.  Look for Part 2 within a day or two.  Have a safe, wonderful weekend!