What's That Shadow?

Tag: marsh

  • Pluff Mud Raccoon Cleaning Eyes

    Pluff Mud Raccoon Cleaning Eyes

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    This dirty pluff mud raccoon comes out of the marsh for a sip of fresh water. S/he ends up dirtying up the water bowl (as usual), plays with a small rock, and rubs it eyes. It then takes off back to the marsh. Charleston SC Feb 2025

  • Raccoon breaks through ice to get water

    Raccoon breaks through ice to get water

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    Raccoons and other animals are still thirsty when it’s cold. If you can’t keep ice out of your waterbowl at night, maybe put out fresh water in a different bowl in the morning that’s not frozen. Charleston SC 1/21/25

  • Turkey Vulture Sunning Horaltic Pose

    Turkey Vulture Sunning Horaltic Pose

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    This turkey vulture is sunning with the sun on his back on our dock in Charleston SC in Dec 2024. Adult turkey vultures wingspan is about 6 feet. This position is referred to as the horaltic position. Outstretched feathers can be for thermoregulating (warming up or cooling down), drying feathers or for killing bacteria or…

  • Marsh Raccoon w/ Pluff Mud Feet Scurries Through Fog

    Marsh Raccoon w/ Pluff Mud Feet Scurries Through Fog

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    This is one of five raccoons (1 mama, 4 young ones) that visit our marsh back yard in Charleston SC. The wide angle shows fog not snow, but the closer camera is so close that the fog is not seen. Raccoons love to hunt and fish at low tide. It’s easier for them to see…

  • Spotted Sandpiper Courtship mating ritual?

    Spotted Sandpiper Courtship mating ritual?

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    These two spotted sandpipers are on our dock in Charleston SC oct 30 2024. They are either two nonbreeding adults (hence – no spots) or two juveniles. It’s hard to tell because of the back light. The wings up and open and tail feathers outstretched makes me think they are flirting and not having a…

  • Female Osprey Eating, Pooping, Feaking

    Female Osprey Eating, Pooping, Feaking

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    This is a female osprey eating in an oak tree next to a Charleston SC marsh. The osprey brings in a half eaten fish, eats it for around 8 minutes and finishes with the fish tail. She poop shoots, cleans and hones her beak (called feaking), and takes off. We know this is a female…

  • Female Banded Kingfisher Chilling On A Pole

    Female Banded Kingfisher Chilling On A Pole

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    Female banded kingfisher on a pole in the marsh in Charleston SC. Female kingfishers have a rusty band on their neck and sides. Kingfishers have black beady eyes and legs and a white dog right next to their eyeballs that make their eyes look white, but that’s just an illusion.

  • Great Blue Heron “I Ate The Whole Thing”

    Great Blue Heron “I Ate The Whole Thing”

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    This Great Blue Heron is fishing in the marshes off of Charleston SC. S/he stabbed a big flat fish (I believe flounder?) and then holds it in it’s mouth for a while and then swallows the fish whole. Look at that throat! The great blue heron maneuvers back and forth swaying trying to get that…

  • Tri Colored Heron Tromping Marsh Grass

    Tri Colored Heron Tromping Marsh Grass

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    This tri-colored heron is moving fast stepping over the Spartina Marsh grass and through the pluff mud. A tri-color with a mission! It does a shuffle russle with the feathers and a nice wing stretch and itch.