From the Cornell Lab website:
A dark body stealthily swims through a lake with only a snakelike head poking above the surface. What may sound like the Loch Ness monster is actually an Anhinga, swimming underwater and stabbing fish with its daggerlike bill. After every dip, it strikes a regal pose on the edges of shallow lakes and ponds, with its silvery wings outstretched and head held high to dry its waterlogged feathers. Once dry, it takes to the sky, soaring high on thermals stretched out like a cross. The Anhinga's distinctive shape earned it the nickname "water turkey" for its turkeylike tail, and "snake bird" for its long snakelike neck as it slithers through the water.
Unlike most waterbirds, the Anhinga doesn't have waterproof feathers. While that may seem like a disadvantage for their watery lifestyle, their wet feathers and dense bones help them slowly submerge their bodies under the water so they can slyly stalk fish. The name Anhinga comes from the Tupi Indians in Brazil, meaning "devil bird" or "evil spirit of the woods."
We found this one in the Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida.
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We visited the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge during peak migration for this species.
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Snow Geese in layers. Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri. I believe the count that day was over 1/2 million.
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Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri.
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I found this goose on Brush Creek, right in the middle of Kansas City, MO. Juvenile Snow Goose hanging out with a large flock of Canada Geese. I was convinced this was a hybrid snow goose/canada goose until Brennan Mulrooney weighed in in comments. Now I just feel like a birding idiot...
The fact that most snow geese have headed much further south and this guy was still around and with the Canada Goose flock had me thinking of a much more exotic reason than the reality.
Thanks Brennan!
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