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Morning calisthenics

A northern pintail drake greets the rising sun with a series of wing flaps, warming up the flight muscles and drying off the primary feathers.

 

The number of northern pintails waxes and wanes annually at Bosque del Apache- this winter there were more than the previous year (personal observation). However like many avian species pintail numbers have declined precipitously in the past, with an estimated 75% decline in the global population since 1966.

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Uploaded on January 9, 2025
Taken on November 19, 2024