Caught my three amigos perched on the same limb and was not sure why they were all together! It had been raining and the skies were overcast and the three of them made for a nice portrait of the kids…even though they were all trying to moon me!! Little did I realize that I had also picked up on the arrival of mom as she made her way through the trees and was coming in for a landing!!! It's strictly a luck shot!! This was the last time I saw all of them together!! The two more mature hawks have moved on by the runt still comes back in the evening! I do believe that he is going to make it on his own, but then we'll never know the rest of the story!! Three juvenile Red-shouldered Hawks captured in the neighborhood!!

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Tags:   WanaM3 Nikon D7100 Nikon D7100 Texas Houston outdoors nature wildlife raptors bird animal hawk Red-shouldered Hawk

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Although some of the birds have moved on to their winter homes we are still left with a few bayou residents that continue to hunt and even at high tide! The juvenile Tri-colored Heron was floundering around on some floating vegetation close to the bank of the bayou! He initially had his back turned toward me and the bow of the canoe was fairly close to him! Thought that I might scare him off when he turned and walked toward the canoe and set up for quite a nice pose! Taken on Horsepen Bayou!

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Tags:   Sony A57 Sony A57 WanaM3 Texas Pasadena Clear Lake City juvenile Horsepen Bayou bayou nature wildlife canoeing paddling bird Heron Tri-colored Heron NGC

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The narrative should be revised because the animal clutched in the Jack’s jaws appears to be an Otter and not a Nutria. Thanks to TysonAndStacy for pointing out my error.
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Jack may have only one eye, but that’s not keeping him from finding enough nourishment to maintain his size. He managed to find himself a nice plump Nutria to dine on when I found him last week half asleep on the bank of Horsepen Bayou in Alligator Alley. He was just lying on the bank with his prize clutched firmly in his jaw the first time I paddled by him and never moved a muscle. I paddled off and returned later and he raised himself up on all four feet and repositioned himself and then went back to sleeping and basking in the sun. He’s not feeling sorry for himself and asking for handouts. Hope the photo is not too disturbing for some, but it is nature’s way and he’s just being the predator that he’s designed to be. I’m not fond of Nutria and I don’t think he was willing to share anyway. Jack is in the 12-to-13-foot range. And just as a footnote, some people do eat Nutria and I’ll not be joining them.

Just as a footnote: the Nutria is an invasive species and will not be missed. More power to the gator from my point of view.

Photo of a Nutria if you are interested.
www.flickr.com/photos/wanam3/13563605443/in/album-7215764...

It may not look like the same animal, but I can assure you that the one in the gator’s mouth has been bashed and smashed around repeatedly by the gator. I’m also certain that most of the bones are crushed in the Nutria from the repeated bites by the alligator. A force that is roughly 3,000psi.


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Tags:   WanaM3 Sony A7RV Sony A7RV Texas Pasadena Clear Lake City Horsepen Bayou Alligator Alley nature wildlife outdoors nature photography Nature's Way canoeing paddling animal reptile lizard lumpy lizard nutria predator apex predator prey alligator gator Alligator mississippiensis

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One of my little Green Heron buddies poised and ready to go all in after a fish!! He would dive into the water to catch the fish but this old photographer was too slow to capture that lightening move!! Photo taken on Horsepen Bayou!

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Tags:   WanaM3 Nikon D7100 Nikon D7100 Texas Pasadena Clear Lake City Horsepen Bayou bayou nature wildlife outdoors canoeing paddling bird animal heron Green Heron

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This is a sunset from the past Wednesday taken at El Franco Lee Park. The clouds put on quite a performance.

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Tags:   Sunset clouds rays grass landscape El Franco Lee Park park Houston Texas WanaM3

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