Australian Pelican (Pelicanus conspicillatus)

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kennedyh Churchill, Victoria, Australia(Zone 10a) Dec 29, 2008

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pelletory Marlton, NJ Jun 18, 2009

Wonderful shot ken!

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kennedyh Churchill, Victoria, Australia(Zone 10a) Jun 18, 2009

Thanks pelletory, they are very photogenic birds
Ken

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Twincol Fresno, CA(Zone 9b) Jul 05, 2009

Ken, what are the little black guys doing or waiting for?

Linda

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kennedyh Churchill, Victoria, Australia(Zone 10a) Jul 05, 2009

Linda,

They are Freckled Duck, one of the rarest of Australian ducks, but recently they have been frequent visitors to Lake Guyatt in Sale, where this picture was taken. I don't know what they are doing as such, just using this little lake as a safe place to rest up for a while.
I rather like the fact of taking a picture of a fairly common bird (the pelican) and finding that I have the rare Freckled Duck sneaking into the picture as well.

I took a lot of trouble to get this photo of a Latham's Snipe, also at Lake Guyatt: http://davesgarden.com/guides/birdfiles/showimage/1870/ and was quite surprised to find that once again I had a Freckled Duck in the background.

I don't only photograph Freckled Duck by accident though! I have taken deliberate pictures of these duck at Lake Guyatt: http://davesgarden.com/guides/birdfiles/showimage/1351/

Ken

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Twincol Fresno, CA(Zone 9b) Jul 05, 2009

Ken, these photos are indeed AWESOME! The Freckled Duck in /1351/ above almost disappears in his environs, doesn't he? Surely he's as "accidental" in his resting place as you are in your photography. ^_^

And the little snipe /1870/ is just as "cute as a bug's ear," as some of us Americans might say. That is, he is just as cute as cute can be. It is indeed humorous that the Freckled Duck is hiding in the background. As I try to imagine what he is thinking by himself back there I can almost see him winking at the snipe as if to say, "that big black eye looking at you doesn't even see me! Won't he be surprised?" And indeed you were.

And I figure that your Pelican is grooming himself of a little bug of some sort. What a delightful catch you made, with that Pelican reaching so high up on his chest with that long beak, seemingly oblivious to his visitors. If those ducks with him are adult size . . . that Pelican is enormous.

It always fascinates me, the vast difference between those birds which brazenly and beautifully announce their presence in such intense color and those which blend so successfully into their setting that it's nearly impossible to see them, except to first spot them by their movement.

Delightful and creative photography, Ken. Thank-you for working so hard so you could pass them along to all of us, Linda

{edited to 'fix' smiley face}

This message was edited Jul 5, 2009 12:37 AM

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kennedyh Churchill, Victoria, Australia(Zone 10a) Jul 05, 2009

Thankyou Linda

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