This was the surprise of my week! I have photographed many of the Anhinga that frequent our canal, but until I saw the image on my computer screen, I didn't realize the bonus I got. Incredible shadows of the surrounding tropical foliage on the Anhinga wing as it soaked up the early morning sun! This doesn't happen to me very often, so I am just thrilled with the spectacular show and encore this majestic bird gave me.

For those of you not familiar with this bird, it is both a land and water bird. The bird eats fish and can swim just as fast as one. It's quite a thing to see them effortlessly swimming completely underwater in hot pursuit of their prey. They can actually hold their breath for quite some time, and when they finally bob up and down for air, you might mistake it for a snake, since only the head and the long neck, which can make an S shape in movement, are seen until it completely gets out of the water. That is when the bird will perch and spread its wings to dry off.

CAMERA - Canon EOS 60D
F-STOP - f/7.1
EXPOSURE - 1/400 sec
ISO - 640
EXPOSURE BIAS - 0 step
FOCAL LENGTH - 300 mm
MAX APERTURE - 5
SHOOTING MODE - Automatic
HAND HELD - Yes
TRIPOD - No
MONO-POD - No
FLASH - No