A Few Waterfowl Pics

These are really great. You have done a wonderful job of showing them all. The Hooded Merganser is one of my favorites. The females have that silly red hairdo. I love the way the male can adjust his hood.
I won't be seeing them again until late March. Thanks again for sharing.

I have really enjoyed your pictures, birdwatching is so enjoyable. Identifying marks are so clear and sharp! Thanks-

Another beautiful photo Gary!

Thanks Resin for the Scaup ID.

Gary, thank you for the comments re: Homer, AK and the Eagle Lady. I understand that she has been given permission to continue feeding the eagles until 2010.

I'm running out of new waterfowl sightings.

But, here is a female American Wigeon .....

And here is a male Redhead I discovered yesterday among all of the Canvasbacks. Although different they easily blend in with all of the male Canvasbacks.

Fortunately my wife saw (with binoculars) this lone male Wood Duck farther out on the river ....

And, my wife also located this Canada (Leucistic) Goose. I guess I'll take her along again !!!

Wonderful pics Linth!!!

Thats great your wife went with you and was so helpful.

I am running out of words to describe how much I enjoy your great pics Linth! The detail is so amazing!!

My DH is getting into this birding thing... always spotting Eagles and Hawks..unfortunately I'm usually driving..but I must admit 4 eyes are better than 2!

Thanks for sharing your pics,

Rose

Thanks, dellrose and pelletory.

Resin, thanks. You're probably right (again). With the addition of the light brown breast, I would agree. Is that the characteristic which led you to the domestic goose hybrid ? Otherwise, what would a leucistic Canada Goose look like ? Last year, I took this photo ? Is this a Leucistic or Hybrid ?

Hi Linth,

Probably another hybrid, but less sure on that one.

With the first one, I was also going on the orange legs (inherited from Greylag Goose, the species that most domestic geese derive from), and also the rear end floating rather high (meaning it's got a lot of fat there, characteristic of domesticated geese and ducks).

There's also a degree of probability involved - escaped domestic geese and hybrids from them are much commoner than genuine leucistic individuals.

Resin

I propose another possibility, to explain the white spots on the gooses head and neck. Inherited piebald conditions have been documented in a number of different species, including humans. May possibly be an explanation?

Another shot of the leucistic Canada Goose.
Gary

Hi Gary,

Even that one shows some domestic goose influence - look at that great bag of fat hanging down behind its legs!

Resin

Such beautiful pictures, you two

Charlie, your pictures make me long to get out with my camera and lucky me that may just happen tomorrow. Karen, my photo buddy, and I are going out early just to see what the birds are up to. We are already beginning to see breeding plumage and brightening colors on some of the waders.

Stacey

Hi Stacey,

So so good to hear from you. I hope you are doing well. We all sure miss your photo contributions from the fine state of Florida. I recall some of those remarkable photos of the Snowy Egrets in breeding plumage.

Please post some of the photos you get tomorrow. Hopefully the sun will be shining for you, and on you. I will be waiting.

I was at Merritt Isl NWR, FL. yesterday. I noticed that the snowy egrets are starting to display their breeding plumage.
There was a flock of Roseate Spoonbills. Got some decent shots.

male Pintail Duck

female Pintail

This Great White Egret was perched in a culvert, picking off the minnows in the outflow.

female Anhinga drying off.

A Moorhen and its reflection

Up close and personal with a Tricolored Heron

Wow Great pics bsharf!!!

A little too close and personal with Ms. or Mr. Gator.

Beautiful bsharf! And to think I'be been to Florida twice and never took one pic!!

Beautiful pictures bsharf. Makes me wish FL wasn't so far away, at the extreme opposite corner of the continent.
Gary

Nice photos, bsharf. I do get to see a few of them here in Maryland. What I find fascinating is the difference in coloration of the juvenile Tri-colored Heron. I photographed this juvenile locally last August.

Very nice Linth!

Grasmussen -

I remember band trips as a kid (this would have been in the mid 70's) for which we'd travel from Fairbanks around Alaska to different cities and states for a week or so. An awesome site, even for a teen, was coming into Haines and looking off into the forest and seeing hundreds of eagles sitting in the trees right next to the road. That's a site permanently etched in my brain.

I meant also to thank you all for the great pics and the bird identification. These are all birds I'd never get to see otherwise . . .

Today was clear and cold, temp. 0 F at 8 AM. Beautiful cold day, but the only decent photos I took were of Starlings.
Gary

linthicum: That juvie Tricolor looks like he stuck his head in a rusty bucket. I've never been lucky to see one in that stage of development.

Thank you Charlie. It looks like I really am going to get out 'in the field' today. It's chilly but what I call chilly and what you call chilly are miles apart, isn't it? LOL

Gary, there will be better days ahead for you ....

bsharf, that's the only Tri-colored Heron that I have ever seen.

Stacey, hope you had a good day out there. You're right about our temp being miles apart. The other day I spent about 5 hours out there (mostly standing), waiting for Bald Eagles, in the wind and temps under 20 degrees. Not only wasn't I working well, my camera seemed to not like the temperature either. And, the eagles weren't flying near me.

Anyway, not much activity today but I do have a female Bufflehead to add to the waterfowl list.

And then she flew away ........

She is sweet Linth! Nice shots!

LOL, I can't imagine how you stand those low temps Charlie.

This message was edited Jan 28, 2008 5:52 AM

Thanks, pelle. I can tolerate low temps if there is a lot of bird activity. I can't stand the wind, however. My feet would always get cold but more recently I have been using "Toasti Toes". They have adhesive which you attach to the outside of your sock at your toes. I've just been wearing street shoes with the "Toasti Toes" and they keep my toes warm for hours. I've already used the "heat patches" placing one at my lower back. That's generally where chill (shiver) originates. I'll try anything to keep warm. Years ago (many), I tried electric socks (with batteries). The big problem with them was that the batteries did not last long in cold weather.

When it really get miserable, most of my photography originates from the car window.