Going Quackers

Mallards in Flight

 

With the deer hunting season in full swing and hunter pressure Saturday second only to opening day on Monday, I decided to check out a couple of spots for waterfowl.  My first stop was at a local wetland but it was ice covered.  Moving on to a local lake I spotted a couple of flocks in deeper water well out from shore.

 

While checking the lake from I encountered a fellow photographer visiting from Germany.  He was concerned that he was to meet a couple here for a photo outing and had not been able to find them.  I realized that I had probably just seen them at another lake access point so I directed him there noting that I was going to return later with the boat.

Mallards

 

Returning with the boat a couple of hours later, the little photo group was at the boat dock.  As I prepared to launch we chatted and I was pleased to learn that the locals were familiar with Country Captures and had visited both here and Elk County because of the images they had found here.  After launching the boat I noticed that our German visitor was still at his car so I invited him to a photo cruise on the lake.  With a big smile he responded "I would love to".

 

For the next couple of hours we cruised the lake; however the waterfowl would have none of it anytime I attempted to close the distance.  With the autumn waterfowl hunting season ongoing, and at least one group of hunters concealed along the shore behind a decoy spread, the ducks were not about to allow any boat to approach within shotgun range. 

 

 

Lesser Scaup

 

In spring I am accustomed to the scaup flushing at about 100 yards, with other species normally allow closer approaches.  Ruddy ducks are usually the most trusting, many times not flushing until I am within 15-20 yards, however now all of the ducks were flushing 200 yards or more out.

Ruddy Ducks

 

During our cruise I had to settle for passing shots at extreme range however having a good chatting companion more than made up for the duck disappointment.

Mallard male Flushing

 

After dropping my new found friend off at his car I returned to the lake and did manage to locate a mallard pair feeding in the shallows.  Approaching them I stayed focused waiting for the flush shot.  While the range was still farther than what I would have liked, by using the 600mm lens and cropping some, I did manage an acceptable image as the male took flight.

Mallard female Flushing

A moment later the female followed the male again giving me a decent take-off shot

 

With the outlook for duck photography bleak because of the wary birds I began to focus on fishing.  Even though the water temp read 34 degrees, after some searching, I managed to find some active bluegills.  As the sun dropped near the horizon I headed back to the launch with a few images in the camera and a nice catch of gills in the livewell.  Not bad for an outing on the first day of December!

Foliage and Waterfowl

Our autumn foliage colors peaked over the weekend just in time for the Fulton Fall Folk Festival.  I shot these photos Friday and already the color is beginning to fade as showers of leaves fall to the ground with each passing breeze.

 For the first time this fall I encountered ruddy ducks as they moved south. This female allowed me to approach quite closely with the boat.  The reflection of the autumn leaves in the water painted an appealing background to photograph her against.

The Pied-billed grebes were present as they have been for the past few weeks.  After hearing a commotion in the shallow I moved closer to find three grebes fighting over a bluegill.  I followed the grebes at a discrete distance, photographing them with the 100-400mm lens, trying not to interfere with their feeding.

The grebe tried unsuccessfully to swallow the good sized fish a number of times.  Finally tiring of my presence the bird took cover in the reeds lining the lake shore.  With it hidden from view I moved on not knowing if it was ever able to swallow such a large fish.

This group of ruddy ducks was shot at a distance and cropped heavily.  Note the molting male bringing up the rear.  Only a little of his breeding plumage remains on his back and sides while his bill has lost it bright color turning black for winter.

Spring is by far my favorite time to photograph migrating waterfowl as the birds slowly wend their way northward, many sporting their breeding plumage.  In contrast the fall migration finds the ducks with the afterburners turned, on wasting little time getting to their wintering areas, giving only a small window of opportunity to photograph them as they pass through. 

Feeding Underwater: Whitetail Buck

While fishing a few days ago I spotted a young whitetail buck feeding along the shoreline.  Wanting to get a closer shot I headed his way and he didn't seem to mind.

But what he did next was a complete surprise as he submerged his head up to his ears, feeding on the underwater grasses.  Last year this lake was lowered about seven feet throughout the growing season and the lake bed grew up in lush grasses along this area.  Although submerged this year, the grasses continue to grow.

Going a little too deep at one point he jerked his head up shaking violently in an attempt to remove the water from his ear canal.  Not exactly a "perfect pose" but a cute shot nonetheless.

The buck didn't mind my presence as I was within forty yards and slowly drawing nearer using the boats electric motor set on slow, however when my cell phone began to ring it was too much for him and he moved off.  Cell phone are certainly handy but in this situation it prematurely ended a unique experience.  Sometimes there is more to life than staying connected :)

Catch of the Day

Today, with fishing slow, I was more than pleased when I spotted a pied-billed grebe feeding along the shoreline.  This particular bird showed no fear of the boat and allowed me to approach to within twenty feet as it continued diving into the submerged vegetation.

Killdeer

Killdeer while commonly found on lawns, golf courses, and pasture fields also spend time along the water's edge.  One morning a few days ago I was fortunate to be able to maneuver the boat close to a family group of killdeer taking an early morning bath. 

A dispute erupted among the birds as can be seen here with one bird chasing another through the shallow water.

Turning the tables the chased bird suddenly stopped and displayed an aggressive posture.

And maintained the aggressive stance as the pursuing bird circled seeming to look for a weakness in its defence. 

In a few moments the dispute was quickly forgotten as the flock went back to running about the mud flats in search of food leaving me with a few memorable images from a beautiful morning on the water.

Fog

As autumn approaches the opportunity for foggy morning shots increases.  Calm mornings where the air temperature is below that of the ground creates the perfect conditions for ground fog in low lying areas and even more so over bodies of warm water.

Tuesday morning was a calm 50 degrees and with the surface water temperature a warm 65 heavy fog blanketed the lake.  As the sun rose in the eastern sky it reflected off of the calm surface of the waters in a surreal way. 

The warming ray of the sun created updrafts that soon began wafting the fog upward, slowly exposing the encircling mountain. 

But the best image of the morning came when all that remained was a low cloud obscuring the breastwall.  The beauty was incredible, sky, fog and land meets water, reflecting perfectly in mirror image. 

These are the moments I live for, those fleeting moments of incredible natural beauty.

Bird ID Help Needed

While photographing a flock of Killdeer bathing in the shallow water along the lake shore I happened to notice a much smaller bird feeding nearby.  Before I could swing to camera the mystery bird flushed along with the killdeer.  Watching the flock land a couple of hundred yards away I approached them again with the boat and this time everything went my way allowing me to move into about 50 feet.

I am familiar with the spotted sandpipers and solitary sandpipers but am unsure as to the identification of this particular bird.  It appeared to be alone and spent the morning hanging out with the killdeer.  I would estimate the bird to be about 6" long.

In trying to identify my mystery bird the closest match I have came up with is the Semipalmated Sandpiper.  If any of you can give a positive identification I will certainly appreciate it.

Lakeside Captures

 After getting the boat launched Wednesday morning I took a moment to look around spotting this Great Blue Heron standing in the muck at the water's edge.  Slowly moving the boat closer I maneuvered for an good lighting angle to take advantage of the early morning sun as it began to burn through the fog.

Spotting another Heron later I again motored in closer and was surprised to see a feeding pair of immature wood ducks as they rounded the point.  After a few minutes the ducks and heron came into alignment allowing me to capture all in one photograph.

 The heavy dew glistens like jewels on the grass.  One duck looks for its next morsel as the other stretches is wings.

Plucking a blade of grass

And demonstrating the "Duck Step"

The pair were oblivious to me sitting nearly motionless in the shallow water with the boat rammed against a couple of stumps.  Wood ducks at this location are normally very wary but with the bright sun at my back they didn't seem to notice me until they had moved some distance away.

Fishing was slow as expected.  The Heron and Wood Ducks were "The Catch of the Day"

Wildlife at the Water's Edge

 While spending a few hours on the water Tuesday I was treated to an encounter with an immature bald eagle.  I first noticed it as it flew at tree top height along the shoreline.  Apparently sighting a fish it dove into the water and reemerged with empty talons.  I wasn't able to get to the camera in time to capture the dive but was able to capture it here as it prepares to land on a stump.

As I approached slowly with the boat the eagle soon took off flying along the shoreline as it gained altitude.  Later in the day the sound of a loud splash drew my attention to the other side of the lake just in time to see the eagle rise into the air.  The distance was to great to determine if it's dive had been successful.

The muddy shoreline is a favored place for the numerous killdeer to feed.  These birds, while being somewhat wary, will allow a fairly close boat approach if it is done slowly. 

The lake is currently drawn down a considerable amount to facilitate dam repairs.  The lush grasses covering much of the former lake bed do not go unnoticed by the deer.  This doe & fawn, after grazing the young grass, stepped into the lake to quench their thirst and cool off during the midday heat.

Edge, that place where one habitat type meets another, is always a good place to find wildlife.  Edge can consist of the transition between grassland and brush, cropland and woodland, etc.  The water's edge is as good as any and sometimes better than most so whenever you are near the water's edge keep a good lookout for wildlife; your efforts will not go unrewarded.

On the Water

So many of my outdoor adventures involve the water; waterfowl photography in the wetlands, waterfowl photography at a lake, or an outing combining photography with fishing.  Here my "ride" sits ready; fishing rods in their holders and the 60D with the 100-400mm nestled on top of the camera bag where it can be picked up quite handily.

Tools of the panfish trade, an ultralight spinning rig, marker buoys, marabou jig, and a pack of Berkley Crappie Nibbles.

A nice Bluegill comes to the boat after falling for the nibble tipped jig.

And the Canon photo gear comes into play when a Killdeer is spotted feeding along the muddy shoreline. 

Combining wildlife photography and fishing has been a win win combination allowing me to practice two of my favorite activities simultaneously. 

Shots from the Lake

A Great Blue Heron allowed me to approach while it watched intently under the stump.  I was hoping for a great catch shot but whatever it was watching apparently escaped without giving the bird the opportunity to strike.

The pair of Red-breasted Mergansers are still here and are becoming quite accustomed to my boat approaches.  As acclimated as they have became they no longer take flight when pressed closely; choosing instead to swim away.  The great light here gave me what may be my very best ever "on the water shot" of a RB Merganser.

Unsual Sightings: Sunlight & Tern

After seemingly weeks of cloudy, foggy, cool, rainy weather; Saturday morning dawned with the glorious sun burning its way through the fog.  The warm morning light highlighted the new growth and spiders web on the evergreen.

Spending the day fishing on a local lake I noticed an unusual bird circling about.  At first I thought it was a gull as they infrequently are seen here but I was even more surprised when a closer look revealed it to be a Tern, a species that I don't remember ever observed at this location.  

Checking my bird references I believe this to be a Common Tern however if this is wrong please advise. 

  

Camera Critters: Great Blue Heron

Lately our weather has established a pattern of the warmest and brightest days occurring during the week accompanied by cool damp dreary weekends.  Today was no exception with heavy clouds and temps hovering in the lower 40s.  Not allowing a day off work to pass me by I headed out with the boat shortly after daybreak.  A bass tournament was in progress when I arrived at the lake; an event the I believe was responsible for the absence of ducks but the fishermen didn't seem to bother the thirty or more horned grebes and three loons busy feeding on perch spawn. 

The best photo op of the day happened when I located this Great Blue Heron that allowed me to drift the boat reasonably close to it location.  The heron used a fishing tactic which I had never observed before.  Instead of wading slowly in the shallows as most do this bird flew from stump to stump checking for prey holding close to the structure.  The tactics were working well for the bird as I witnessed it strike a number of times.  This last photo caught the bird just as it recovers from an unsuccessful strike while water drips from its bill.

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I've Got my Ducks in a Row

I began my day by arriving at the wetlands, walking in and setting up the hide under cover of darkness.  Across the marsh I could hear the chatter of geese and ducks as they prepared for the new day.  As the eastern sky began to lighten I could see their faint shapes moving about and soon two ducks approached close enough I could identify them as a pair of Ring-necked ducks.  Peering through the gloom I could see them looking my hide over quite closely.  Soon a pair of Canada geese approached and with much honking they swam back and forth and like the ducks observed my blind closely.

As the sun rose flock after flock of ducks and geese took to the skies apparently moving north.  The waterfowl that did stay in the wetlands avoided my hide, staying well concealed.  After three uneventful hours I decided on making a tactical shift and headed home to hook up the boat.  Within the hour I was launching on the local lake and shortly began locating waterfowl.  Loons, horned grebes, wood ducks, mallards, ring-necked ducks, red-breasted mergansers, and bufflehead were present as well as this group of Common Mergansers.  When I first located the Common Mergansers they took flight well out of camera range.  Later I observed a small flock of ducks circling and landing in a small cove.  Their new position allowed me to stalk to within reasonable range using the lake's shoreline as cover.  As I drifted around the point the mergansers appeared in perfect formation; finally I had Got My Ducks In A Row!

The moment was short lived as the Mergansers sprang into the air.  I focused the camera on the colorful male shooting continuous mode as he made his hasty escape.

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Boating for Waterfowl

Among to many ways to enjoy the outdoors one of my favorites is by boat.  Over the years I have owned boats ranging from a little 12 foot jon boat that I car-topped to a 21ft cabin rig that carried me over much of the Chesapeake Bay.  My most used boat has been a 15 foot aluminum modified V bass boat with both gas and electric motor.  I have towed this boat as far north as Central Ontario and south to North Carolina in search of fishing adventures as well as using it extensively locally.  Since getting back into photography with the advent of digital I have been boating a great deal combining fishing with waterfowl photography. 

Saturday morning I wet the boat for the first time this year in a nearby lake.  Launching was difficult as the Pa Fish and Boat Commission had lowered the lake some 7-8 feet last fall in anticipation of dam repairs.  The water was deep enough at the launch ramp for me to get the boat off but a rock ledge just beyond required wading in and rocking the boat by hand to get it through an area of 3-4 inch deep water.  Although noting so much as bumped the lures I was trolling the morning was well worth the effort as waterfowl was plentiful.

This first shot is of a flock of Ring-necked ducks feeding along the shoreline as the morning sun lights the scene nearly to the water's edge.  The base of the trees mark the normal shoreline when the lake is at normal level.  A scenic shot was the best I could do as these ducks flew before I could approach within good camera range.

A small flock of Lesser Scaup did likewise but at a close enough distance to allow me to capture this nice flight shot.

Passing overhead a flock of female Red-breasted mergansers formed the familiar V shaped pattern so common with migrating waterfowl.

When I noticed a lone unidentified duck flying by I took a quick shot in hopes of being able to id it from the photograph.  Even though the distance was long and the image is heavily cropped it is easy to identify it as a Green-winged Teal; a bird that I seldom see in my local.

During this outing I observed the waterfowl pictured here along with the following; horned grebe, loon, common merganser,bufflehead, and ruddy ducks. 

The spring waterfowl migrations are a wonderful time to be outdoors enjoying what nature has to offer.  I am trying to find as much time as possible to photograph these beautifully colored travelers as they only too quickly pass through our area.