First In

Today, I was the first person to hike to the lake in the Fontenelle Forest Wetlands.  I found three Double-crested Cormorants were sitting on a branch next to the trail.  The only reason I was able to record the sight was my stealthy approach and super-telephoto lens.  A few seconds later the Cormorants entered the water.  The second person would only see an empty branch.

I scanned the rest of the lake after the Cormorants left.  I expected to see plenty of wildlife.  It was nearly empty.  There were a few Hooded Mergansers and Wood Ducks in the distance.  They were gone before I reached their location.

 I changed direction to leave the lake and to walk along the stream.  A couple of Red-winged Blackbirds were high in the trees.  Cardinals were calling each other.  My eye was drawn to an Eastern Phoebe that was moving from stem to stem ahead of me.  It didn't want to leave the stream and it didn't want to be very  close to me either.

A Lincoln's Sparrow didn't welcome my approach either.  Instead of moving down the stream, it moved deep into a bush on the opposite side of the water.  I could see movement but it was always obstructed by branches.  I was patient.  When it moved to an outside branch for a couple of seconds, I was ready. 

 Some of the ducks that weren't on the lake were in a small pond next to the stream.  The ducks didn't see much danger in the trail from this location because they were only visible from a couple high points on the trail.  They were protected by the stream and  tangled brush.   I was able to photograph a Hooded Merganser couple.  My telephoto was able to make some of the out of focus vegetation disappear but the female is still very blurred.

Some Green-winged Teal were in the pond as well.  They spent most of their time with their head below the water and their bottoms up in the air.  One male was more interested in sex than food.  He would make himself look as attractive as possible and then display his intentions to every female nearby.  The Teal would have left if they noticed me but the same brush that was partly hiding them obscured me as well.

Wood Ducks are extremely difficult to approach in the marsh.  I was fortunate to notice this couple before they noticed me.

There are places in the United States were a photographer can find very tame examples of each of the birds I photographed today.  A tame Wood Duck would look the same in a photo as a wild Wood Duck.  I've heard people criticize wildlife photographs saying  "How many photos of a bird do you need - they all look alike?"  It's a valid question.  I didn't NEED another photo of a Wood Duck.  I did Need to leave the sofa, brave the elements, carry heavy camera gear into the wild and then enjoy the challenge of putting everything that I know about photography a photo of a Wood Duck.

A Deadly Attack

The Fontenelle Forest Wetlands were dark, damp and dreary this morning (March 28).  It was 30 degrees.  The song birds were not out yet, so I went to the lake to see what kinds of water fowl were present today.  The lake was nearly empty, but I did see several Hooded Merganser Ducks a few hundred yards away.  They don't stay for the summer so I decided to try to sneak closer for a photo.  There is very little cover on the trail, so my chances of getting closer were slim.  When I arrived at the spot I had chosen, no ducks were in sight.  I decided to wait a few minutes to see if any ducks flew in.

I couldn't see the near shore from my position.  Suddenly several ducks burst into the air.  Apparently the ducks had seen me after all.  A huge owl ascended from the hidden bank.  It was struggling to carry a heavy dark object - a duck.  It landed on a branch of a nearby tree and I attempted to photograph it.  I had problems.  There were many obstructing branches and I was so close that I couldn't get the whole owl in a single frame.  I took the best shot I could of the top of the owl and the bottom and tried to figure out where to go to get a better shot.   The Great Horned Owl saw me and decided to carry the heavy load to another branch that was even more obstructed and then flew off entirely.  I used Photoshop to assemble the two owl images into one.  The resulting image isn't anything more than a record shot, but it was better than nothing.  This is the first Great Horned Owl I've photographed in Fontenelle Forest.

There were hundreds of Ring-billed Gulls flying over the water today.

This Ring-necked Duck caught a tiny fish for lunch.

The Great Horned Owl didn't eat all of the Hooded Mergansers.  I was able to capture this image by panning the camera as it flew by.

I also panned this shot of a flying Common Merganser.

This Downy Woodpecker isn't one of the migrants.  It has been here all winter.

My Trouble With Bird Names - May 13 2012

I am in awe of the experienced birders.  They can identify and count birds a mile off before I can focus on a single one of them. If they hear a couple of notes, they don't even have to see the bird.  I don't share this ability.  I have four different bird books and still can't positively identify some of the birds that I photograph.

 I'm also not sure what kind of Warbler this is

This little bird is some kind of Flycatcher.

The Common Grackels were beautiful - their iridescence reflected in the sunlight.

This may be a Great-tailed Grackle.

I was able to photograph a pair of Hooded Merganser by shooting through some branches.  When I tried to get a better view, they were gone.

A Red-headed Woodpecker seemed to appreciate all of the extra dead wood this year.

The advantage of being the first to arrive at the wetlands is that you get to see a scene like this.  A pair of Great Blue Herons and a Wood Duck.