• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Heart of Louisiana Logo

The Heart of Louisiana

  • Staycations
  • Regions
    • New Orleans Region
    • Capital Region
    • Acadiana
    • Southwest Louisiana
    • Central Louisiana
    • Northshore
    • North Louisiana
    • Bayou Region
  • 60 Second Road Trips
  • TV Stories
  • Buy Photos
  • Recent Posts
  • Show Search
Hide Search
Home/Bayou Region/One Afternoon in a Louisiana Swamp
Bald eagle flying over treetop in southern Louisiana swamp

One Afternoon in a Louisiana Swamp

I grabbed my camera and a long lens and joined a few other photographer friends for an afternoon cruise into a Louisiana swamp in western Terrebonne Parish. We wanted to photograph bald eagles. But we found so much more.

10-foot long alligator enjoys the warm winter sun

After a few weeks of cold weather, the alligators of this Louisiana swamp couldn’t resist a weekend warm-up and some sunshine. We spotted several gators sunning themselves on logs near the water’s edge.

it’s Eagle time in the louisiana swamp

After heading south for the winter, the bald eagles have settled into their southern treetop homes in the Louisiana swamp and marshes. The huge nests are plentiful and usually easy to spot this time of year since the tall cypress trees have no leaves. You can see the tiny dark feathered heads of the chicks bobbing above the rims of nests after the eagles’ eggs hatch.

Male and female parent eagles take turns minding their nest

A cajun man swamp tour

Captain Billy Gaston operates Cajun Man’s Swamp Tours in the western Terrebonne Parish community of Gibson. He easily guides our sight-seeing boat from one eagle nest to another, and he is constantly on the lookout, spotting flying birds and others perched in treetops. Gaston knows how to position our boat for the best possible light and view of the majestic eagles.

Capt. Billy Gaston takes photographers to eagle nests

My friends and I took this swamp tour because we wanted to see and photograph bald eagles. And we saw lots of eagles! But as I scanned through the hundreds of images I snapped with a rapid fire shutter release, I find so much more. The wading birds, like the great blue herons, a variety of egrets, ibis, white and brown pelicans, seagulls, osprey, red-tailed hawks, vultures, limpkin, owls, anhinga, and all sorts of waterfowl fill the digital images I captured in this south Louisiana swamp.

An anhinga and an ibis share a tree top

A new bird for the louisiana swamp

Once exclusive to Florida, the Limpkin has found it’s way to the Louisiana Swamp. These wading birds were first spotted in wetland areas of southern Louisiana in 2017. The Limpkin is now easier to find in swamps and marshes. We photographed them in two different locations on our tour of western Terrebonne parish, and they were all devouring the invasive apple snail. The large apple snail is causing a problem as it consumes underwater vegetation, a critical part of bird habitat. Limpkins to the rescue!

watch this video of limpkins attacking snails

Watch and see how Limpkins devour the invasive Apple Snail

As I process the best of the photos, I begin to see the colorful patterns of feathers, the bright eyes, the striped beaks, and how the birds flapped their wings and gripped the tree branches with their feet.

A snowy egret quietly steps over a tree stump on the water’s edge

sunset – a perfect ending

The sun disappeared behind scattered clouds just before setting in the western sky. With the fading light, I put down my camera and to enjoy the golden glow of the Louisiana marsh and swamp. As if the birds weren’t enough, nature ends our day in dramatic fashion!

A lone bald eagle perched high above the marsh at sunset

TV feature on our swamp photo tour – Jan. 2021

Watch this Heart of Louisiana TV feature on the birds of the Louisiana swamp

All of this in just four hours

I enjoy reliving my Louisiana swamp tour as I look through my images of that one afternoon with Captain Billy Gaston. Photographing birds in the wild is challenging for the most experienced photographers. We were on a moving boat, bobbing up and down, trying to capture distant birds in sharp focus and proper exposure through 600-800 millimeter lenses. I’m a novice at this type of photography, but eager for another afternoon in the swamp.

view my wildlife images from the louisiana swamp

Click on image to enlarge and scroll

great blue heron stands near cypress tree trunk surrounded by water in a south Louisiana swamp featured in Louisiana nature photography
great blue heron flies above water near forest in a south Louisiana swamp
great egret wading in shallow water with moss hanging from tree in a south Louisiana swamp
snowy egret stepping on tree trunk at edge of water in a south Louisiana swamp
bald eagle soaring over trees in a south Louisiana swamp
flock of white pelicans fly overhead in a south Louisiana swamp
red tailed hawk sits in treetop above a south Louisiana swamp
red tailed hawk sits on tree branch in a south Louisiana swamp
a turtle on log above the water in a south Louisiana swamp
closeup of alligator on log surrounded by plants in a south Louisiana swamp
three ibis stand on patch of greenery in a pod in a south Louisiana swamp
limpkin bird pulls snail out of shell to eat it in a south Louisiana swamp
limpkin eating apple snail in greenery in a south Louisiana swamp
ibis stands on bare branch in tree top in a south Louisiana swamp
great white egret flying above water in a south Louisiana swamp
white egret in flight above water in a south Louisiana swamp
closeup of two seagulls flying above in a south Louisiana swamp
10 foot alligator at waters edge near tree in a south Louisiana swamp
flock of ducks fly above other ducks swimming in pod in a south Louisiana swamp
several ducks taking flight in pond filled with ducks in a south Louisiana swamp
bald eagle in flight in a south Louisiana swamp
bald eagle spreads its weeks as it takes off from high branch in a south Louisiana swamp
adolescent band eagle without white crown sits in treetop in a south Louisiana swamp
adolescent band eagle without white crown takes flight in a south Louisiana swamp
closeup of bald eagle on nest in moss draped tree in a south Louisiana swamp
distant bald eagle in treetop near nest in distance in a south Louisiana swamp
pair of bald eagles in nest surrounded by moss tree branches in a south Louisiana swamp
bald eagle turns head on branch of bare tree in a south Louisiana swamp
bald eagle sits in treetop among brown leaves in a south Louisiana swamp
pair of bald eagles stand on edge of nest overlooking chicks in a south Louisiana swamp
bald eagle sits on branch at top of bare tree in a south Louisiana swamp
bald eagle at top of tree with hanging moss and brown leaves in a south Louisiana swamp
bald eagle sits on edge of nest in a south Louisiana swamp
parent eagle sits on eggs in nest in a south Louisiana swamp
bald eagle flying toward camera past trees in a south Louisiana swamp
alligabor rests on log near water edge in a south Louisiana swamp
white egret stands in treetop in a south Louisiana swamp
Anhinga among branches and moss in tree in a south Louisiana swamp
anhinga spreads its wings in treetop in a south Louisiana swamp featured in Louisiana nature photography
Anhinga and Ibis share a treetop perch in a south Louisiana swamp featured in Louisiana nature photography
bald eagle sitting on branch in tree at sunset in a south Louisiana swamp
bald eagle sits on branch at top of bare tree at sunset in a south Louisiana swamp
lone eagle sits on highest branch of bare tree at sunset in a south Louisiana swamp
trees backlit by setting sun with eagle on tree branch in a south Louisiana swamp
sunset behind cypress strees along canal in a south Louisiana swamp

My first trip with captain billy – Feb. 2020

Watch this TV feature on my first bald eagle excursion with Captain Billy Gaston

getting to this louisiana swamp tour

Cajun Man Swamp Tours, 251 Marine Dr, Gibson, LA

More ways to see birds in a Louisiana swamp

;eople on boardwalk observation deck over Louisiana marsh for watching and photographing birds

Birdwatching at Mandalay

    a White Ibis feeds its young on a nest in the Jefferson Island Rookery

    The Rookery

      Hummingbird Nest

        Written by:
        Dave McNamara
        Published on:
        January 9, 2022
        Thoughts:
        8 Comments

        Categories: Bayou Region

        Reader Interactions

        Comments

        1. Ana Maria

          February 1, 2021 at 11:07 am

          Absolutely stunning.
          I would love to know how to get price and availability for these tours.

          Reply
          • Dave McNamara

            February 1, 2021 at 12:55 pm

            Click on the link in the post for Cajun Man’s Swamp Tours and it will take you to Capt. Billy’s website. Contact info is there. Thanks Ana!

            Reply
          • Capt. Billy Gaston

            February 3, 2021 at 2:00 pm

            Hi Ms. Ana, you can go to my website @ http://www.cajunmanadventures.com or give me a call anytime between 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 pm @ 985-868-4625, Check out my Facebook page as well. The best time for Eagles and Alligators are from late Feb. through May, Most of the Eagles do migrate back up north during the month of May. I hope to hear from you soon.

            Reply
        2. Marian Fertitta

          February 2, 2021 at 9:53 pm

          Beautiful photos and story. I have been on Capt. Billy’s tour. I live but a few miles from the area, but was truly amazed at the beautiful scenery and the magnificent wildlife that are so close to my home! I recommend his tour to everyone from near and far!

          Reply
          • Dave McNamara

            February 2, 2021 at 10:54 pm

            Thanks Marian. You live in a beautiful area!

            Reply
          • Capt. Billy Gaston

            February 3, 2021 at 1:52 pm

            Thanks you so much for the kind words my friend, I hope to see ya’ll again soon ! Ayeeee Sha’

            Reply
        3. Jill Usie

          June 16, 2021 at 11:34 pm

          Beautiful pictures and content. Cajun Man Swamp Tour is a great experience. Captain Billy Gaston is very knowledgeable about the wildlife and where to find them. I would recommend this tour to visitors and natives. I learned so much about an area I have lived in all my life.πŸ¦…πŸ¦†πŸŒπŸŠπŸ¦«πŸΏπŸ¦ŒπŸ–

          Reply
        4. Dale Thibodeaux

          February 10, 2022 at 6:20 pm

          Awesome photography! I was born in Morgan City and lived almost all of my life south of I-10. Never grow tired of it!

          Reply

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Heart of Louisiana logo

        Footer

        Copyright © 2023 Heart of Louisiana Β· Web Design

        • Facebook
        • Instagram
        • About Dave McNamara
        • Contact
        • Advertising Opportunities
        • Archives
        • Privacy Policy
        • Site Map