Mmm . . . Sushi! July 4, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Animals, Humor, Mindfulness, Nature.comments closed
One day, while taking a quick break on the deck, a lone anhinga entertained me with its incredible prowess in catching, tossing, and swallowing fish from the lagoon, both wings tucked behind its back.
Look, mon, no hands!
The anhinga, also called a snakebird, patrolled the edge of the lagoon until it saw a fish. Then, with snake-like speed and precision, it would dive, catch the fish, emerge, stick its long slender neck into the air, toss the fish up, throw back its head, grab the prey, and swallow it.
Unlike people who’ve had too much to drink before attempting to catch flying tidbits of food (like peanuts or popcorn) in their gaping mouths at cocktail parties, this bird caught every fish it tossed into the air. Not a single morsel missed its mark or flew outside its intended arc after being tossed airborne by the bird’s long slender bill.
As it swam clockwise around the perimeter of the lagoon, the bird performed its mealtime mission with great success ~ locating fish every few feet with a staccato-like rhythm: dive, catch, emerge, toss, tilt, grab, swallow, and repeat.
Perhaps the most amazing part of the spectacle occurred when this fabulous fisherman saw me watching him.
After smacking its bill closed on a small silver fish, it looked me straight in the eye, and murmured, “Mmm . . . sushi,” before diving into the pool for its next “peanut.”
Quote: Take only photographs, leave only footprints. ~ Jim Corbett (Early Conservationist)
No rules. Just write.
What about you? Do you enjoy Sushi . . . or do you think it’s for the birds?
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