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This is the sixth shot in the Bald Eagle sequence (Here I Come, Looking Mean, Preflight Check, Flaps Up, We Have Liftoff) as the eagle heads into the mix to steal a fish. Photographed at the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve.
Bald Eagle photographed at the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. This is the 3rd shot in the series - Preflight Check and Flaps Up are the other two.
A flock of seagulls had gathered on the beach at Colchester, Ontario on Lake Erie for their early morning social time. Unfortunately for them, this nosy photographer decided to explore their beach roost. Of course this did not sit well with the group leaders, who began to take off, encouraging the others to join them as I drew closer.
Taraxacum is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, which consists of species commonly known as dandelions. The scientific and hobby study of the genus is known as taraxacology. Like so many familiar wild plants, the dandelion has a rich traditional history, most of it propitious. Country folk loved those golden mops of spring as harbingers of the months of warmth. Dandelions spoke of childhood and hope and were woven into spring wedding bouquets to bring good luck. To dream of dandelions promised a happy relationship.
The tallest stalk a child could find indicated how it would gain height over the coming year and, when the bloom was held under a child’s chin, the greater the reflected glow, the kinder and sweeter the child would become. No rural babe escaped the tickling petals.
The seedhead, that fascinating and intricate globe combining geometrical integrity with gossamer delicacy, held as much symbolism as the flower and, for our omen-ridden ancestors, blowing on the ripe structure offered choices when it came to interpreting how many of the little paratroopers departed.
A couple of duck take off at the sound of my 'Canon' - in sync on their timing and stroke!
Happy Crazy Tuesday!
A building I can't get enough of and one that I've posted pictures of before but it's wonderful design always draws me back.
One Park Drive, Canary Wharf
Designed by Herzog & de Meuron
Last Friday was really a wonderful crisp, fresh smelling, blue sky day... it was also a good birding and photography day for me... but this is not about me...
I think this GRAH is just such a incredibly beautiful bird. What a sight... and it just gets me thinking (never good)... I wish more birds and animals were better protected. I hope things continue to improve in that way. We still need to do more to protect them...
Well, sorry... enough said... anyway... a pretty good shot here, I think... a huge shout out to the Jordan Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN). We need more folks like them. I have to say Jordan and Jordanians are amazing and wonderful...
A Great Blue Heron lifts off across a large swampy bog, framed by the steep bank. The grace and power these large Herons display is always a treat to watch.
Pinery Provincial Park,
Lambton Shores, ON
This green heron had just picked a fish out of the water, and was taking it elsewhere for some privacy.
Eager female Downy Woodpecker considering when it's safe to jump towards my feeder.
Common area permanent resident.
Dieses Bild hier habe ich Vorgestern Abend gemacht. Entgegen dem Wetterbericht war es den gesamten Nachmittag und Abend sehr sonnig und es gab für einige Stunden blauen Himmel.
Ich habe mich aufgerafft uns bin ins Naturschutzgebiet gefahren.. und es hat sich gelohnt!
Diese Graugänse hier hoben im Abendlicht in ihr Nachtquartier ab.. das sieht immer sehr spektakulär aus, allerdings starten sie recht unvermittelt..
Ich habe vor einiger Zeit schonmal ein Bild aus dieser Serie gezeigt. Hier handelt es sich um den selben Startvorgang, allerdings ein paar Bilder früher, mit etwas anderem Licht / Hintergrund. Mir gefällt diese Version hier persönlich sogar noch etwas besser.
Es ist aber gar nicht so einfach, startende Gänse abzulichten, da sie ziemlich unvermittelt starten.. um so mehr freue ich mich über diese Bilder.
Snow Geese, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, Socorro County, New Mexico
Some 377 species of birds have been observed on the refuge since 1940. The wetlands attract the huge flocks of wintering cranes and geese. Many other species—notably waterfowl, shorebirds, and birds of prey—also winter in the refuge. Late November to late February is the best time for large numbers of birds, typically over 10,000 sandhill cranes and over 20,000 Ross's and snow geese. An annual Festival of Cranes is held the weekend before Thanksgiving as large numbers of cranes begin arriving in the refuge. Winter visitors generally plan to be in the refuge at sunrise or sunset, when the flocks of cranes and geese that roost in the refuge "commute" to or from local fields where they feed.
--https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosque_del_Apache_National_Wildlife_Refuge (paraphrased)
Common Goldeneye(F) 0653
This Goldeneye left the water coming straight at me, and the result was a 9 image sequence with both eyes in focus, always a different look. 706 - 1691
Über dieses Bild hier habe ich mich besonders gefreut.. vor einigen Wochen an einem nebeligen Novembermorgen habe ich mir die Kamera Geschnappt und mich über den dichten Nebel gefreut.. als dann die Sonne durchkam, wurde dieser in eine tolle Stimmung getaucht.. neben den Möwen war aber auch diese startende Graugans dort, die die "Ruhe" ein wenig störte.. aber ein paar Sekunden später war sie schon in der Luft und es war wieder ruhig :-)
The Snowy's will almost go straight up like a helicopter when the wind is into their face. This girl was in the corn field and took off.
A very good friend shared with me a Bald Eagle Nest under the understanding that I wouldn't share it's location. A request I always honor, and I appreciate his trust and generosity in sharing it with me. This is the female tending for eggs. I'm looking forward to one day seeing the mate and hopefully seeing some new eagles make their way in the world. Happy New Year everyone!
A Wood Duck couple, a mole hill, and a rock. The aperture seems to reach f/36. Must become more bold when using the 2x teleconverter and try for a speed of at least f/2500 and a higher aperture number to capture that flying female.
Still, how fun. I didn't realize that ducks bent down into a sort of squat before liftoff.
New-to-me fact from allaboutbirds.org:
"Wood Ducks pair up in January, and most birds arriving at the breeding grounds in the spring are already paired. The Wood Duck is the only North American duck that regularly produces two broods in one year."
Off for a walk. No rain this evening!
ps. I tested out 3D-tracking for this. Must practice more.
Bald Eagle becomes airborne in Pasco County, Florida.
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Thanks for visiting and for your faves and comments.
Yesterday morning I took a photo walk out at Harmony Headlands. It was a perfect day. I spotted this female Northern Harrier standing on a rock. I focused on her and stood and waited. She did not disappoint, after a few minutes she took off flying directly toward me!! Woo Hoo!!
The roseate spoonbill is sometimes placed in its own genus - Ajaja. A 2010 study of mitochondrial DNA of the spoonbills by Chesser and colleagues found that the roseate and yellow-billed spoonbills were each other's closest relatives, and the two were descended from an early offshoot from the ancestors of the other four spoonbill species. They felt the genetic evidence meant it was equally valid to consider all six to be classified within the genus Platalea or alternatively the two placed in the monotypic genera Platibis and Ajaja, respectively. However, as the six species were so similar morphologically, keeping them within the one genus made more sense.[6]