Magnolia Plantation Wildlife

A trip to the Magnolia Plantation and Gardens in late November did not offer much in the way of prime time gardens or flowers at this time of year. But the wildlife and birds more than made up for the lack of that aspect. The Audubon Swamp Garden was a great add on to the Plantation entrance fee, as it offered great viewing opportunities. Ducks, herons, and alligators were within easy viewing distances. Although wild, some of the birds seemed very used to people and would let you get surprisingly close for photos. I would love to go back, timing the visit for the spring mating and rookeries.

A Gallery of Birds

Anhinga Picture Series

The Anhinga is commonly called the Water Turkey. It is also known as the “Snakebird” because it often swims with its body submerged and only the neck and head exposed above the water. As you will see in this series. The pictures are not that great because of the amount of cropping for these pics. But quality is enough to tell a great story about the bird. The series begins with this female bird preening and drying its feathers in the sun. The bird, like the Cormorant, lacks oil glands, so they must perch and spread their wings to dry them. The rest of the pictures speak for themselves. Obviously, good at fishing with a BIG appetite.

Great Blue Heron Series

Next, we have another series of being in the right place at the right time. Again, I wish I could of had more prep time to change the camera settings for a faster shutter speed. But once again, getting the story was more important than getting perfect pictures. Soooooo. I turn and see this Great Blue Heron coming in on the other side of the water I was standing next to. I just raised the camera with whatever it was set at, and started shooting. Not sure if the bird picked the landing spot or abruptly changed his touchdown, but I thought it was pretty neat. I like to think of it as an ‘Oh crap, better stop short’ landing. The bird calmly walked away and then flew across and landed very close for the last two images.