Anhinga, ready for his close-up

Anhingas are some of my favorite birds, and I spent some time this last winter visiting them down south where they live.

 Look at this guy all decked out in his spectacular breeding plumage!

This flirty male has it all going on.

Anhingas are not waterproof, so they often sit in the sun with their wings out to dry off. I've never seen one looking so punkish, though.

Although they're not waterproof, Anhingas still have an oil gland at the base of their tail that they use when grooming. 

So pretty.

Females have a lighter head and neck.

This is another male doing a snakey dance on a railing.

This individual remained on the railing as I spent time photographing other things. He seemed to be waiting for an audience.

This is a typical sighting of an Anhinga perched along the shore of a lake.

And this is what you see when they're hunting in the water: just a needle-tipped serpentine head.

I've posted photos of this sculpture before, but I really love it and have to photograph it every time I see it. It's the work of Paul Eppling and is perched along the lake shore of Boyd Hill Nature Preserve in St Petersburg, Florida. Boyd Hill is home to many of the sculptor's artworks.

Birds of a feather...