2014, The Last and a First

As 2014 drew to a close today I had the opportunity to photograph three wild turkey gobblers as they sparred with one another.

After photographing the turkeys I drove by a stream where I commonly spot mallards during the winter months.  I was surprised to see that a pair of pintail males and one female were feeding with the resident mallards.

This is the first time I have ever observed pintail ducks in Fulton County Pa!

 

Wishing you and yours a healthy, prosperous, and Happy New Year!

 

 

 

Ducklings

Photographing the waterfowl migrations this spring was a huge disappointment.  With the draining of the Meadow Grounds Lake I no longer had a body of water near home where I could photograph waterfowl from the boat.

 

  With Raystown Lake the next nearest place to boat in Pennsylvania I spent at least one day each weekend fishing and attempting to photograph waterfowl there only to find that the waterfowl photography in no way compared to working the much smaller Meadow Grounds.  While various species of waterfowl were present for the most part they would flush while I was too far away for good photography. 

 

With the Meadow Grounds out of play what waterfowl photography I did encounter occurred in small wetlands.  With some of the results posted here.

 

Wood Duck hen with both Wood Duck ducklings and Hooded Merganser young

 

This was the first time I ever observed a wood duck with both wood duck and hooded merganser ducklings in tow.  I expect that the mergansers made it back to the proper mother as I have not observed a mixed flock since. 

 

Wood Duck duckling

All ducklings are not hatched at the same time so it is common to see young of various sizes in a single outing.

 

Mallard Duckling foraging in the shallows

 

Hooded Merganser apparently from an early hatch

 

Hooded Merganser duckling feeding.
 

 

Lifer: Long-tailed Duck

Long-tailed Duck

 

While I have observed Long-tailed Ducks on the Chesapeake Bay a surprise encounter with this male sporting his winter plumage on the Meadow Grounds Lake was my very first time with one in front of the camera.

The duck was hanging out alone in about 8 feet of water.  He would allow me to approach to within about 30 yards before evading the boat by diving.  I quickly learned that the duration of each dive was approximately 30 seconds.

 

How fitting that as the water drains away from my favorite little mountain lake that I was able to capture another "lifer" photograph before the lake is gone.

Ruddy Duck

There are still many images from my recent Florida trip to review and process but I cannot ignore the spring waterfowl migration now passing through our area.  The little spike tailed ruddy ducks are a common springtime visitor and today I found this lone duck on a local lake.

At times the ruddy was hanging out with a mixed flock of horned grebes and red-breasted mergansers and at others I would spot it off by itself.  Here the ruddy is resting.  Notice how it is supporting itself with the vegetation to steady itself against the waves.

Earlier in the morning, before the wind kicked up, the calm water reflected the little duck perfectly.

This particular ruddy was very tolerant of my presence but when I approached to within about fifteen yards she finally had enough and took flight.  Not overly alarned she only flew 100 yards or so before settling down with the flock of red-breasted mergansers.

Today's waterfowl/bird sightings included; loon, ring-necked duck, mallard, horned grebe, red-breasted merganser.

Buffleheads Up Close

After an incredible morning with the gobblers I wasn't expecting a close-up encounter with Bufflehead ducks Friday afternoon.  Not that I was surprised with finding the buffleheads on the lake; but rather thatI was surprised with them allowing me to approach closely.

In this first photo the buffleheads are attempting to evade my boat by doing their "sleeping duck" routine.  Notice the wake these "sleeping ducks" are pushing up; look closely to see the bright, wide-awake eyes watching me while they swim furiously.

 Giving up on the "sleeping duck" the buffleheads swim to stay ahead of the boat as I very slowly overtake them.

The males appear as simple black and white ducks until the sunlight hits there heads at the correct angle.  Following along with the camera trained on them, the trick was to anticipate the flash of iridescence. 

A close up shot of a male shows off his splendid iridescent colors

After a considerable time the buffleheads tired of the boat following them giving me the opportunity for a close up flight shot.

Not really scared they flew only a short distance before again landing on the lake surface.  Most ducks I encounter at this lake will not allow close-up photography.  Most days I am lucky if I can get within seventy-five yards however this small flock of buffleheads did not show fear of me or the boat and allowed me to work them for an extended period of time.  My guess is that they winter in a spot where there is no hunting.  Whatever the reason it is a special time encountering a flock that will allow close-up photography.

Odds & Ends

Not having neither the time or the energy to put much thought into a post, I decided instead to share some unrelated photos.

I was a little surprised to see Great Blue Herons building nest during my early March visit to Middle Creek.  The rookery was too far away from the road to allow great shots and getting any closer was unlawful so I had to be satisfied with what was available.  Shooting with the 600mm lens I could see from viewing the camera LCD that the shots were soft.  Resorting to manual focus and using live view at 10x zoom the resulting images were sharper.

These mallards may look no different than your friendly everyday park ducks but they fully understand the dangers that humans present.  The nearest hen has already spotted me and at the first click of the shutter they exploded into the air. 

This crow seems to understand that I mean it no harm but gaging from the intent stare it isn't entirely trusting either.

A First: Gadwalls

My recent trip to Middle Creek resulted in being able to add another species to my photo archives.

A flock of Gadwalls were feeding in a pothole near the road. Not overly concerned about the nearby viewers and photographers, they approached near enough for decent photography. These images were captured with the Canon 600mm F4, at ISO400,f4,1/750.

From their actions they had more than migrating and feeding on their minds as a group of males pursued a single female relentlessly.

This particular shot was my favorite from the encounter.

Waterfowling: Behind the Scenes

 Waterfowl in my area are normally quite wary.  Getting good photographs requires getting close.  Long lenses certainly help but even with the big glass the photographer must still be inside hunted waterfowl's comfort zone. 

This winter has been much milder than normal and with the temp at 37 before dawn this morning, I decided to check out a local wetland in hopes of finding some early migratory ducks.  Walking in through the early morning gloom I spotted a white dot sliding along the surface of the water, the unmistakeable white crest of a male hooded merganser.  As the morning passed I could hear the Canada geese and mallards fly out to feed and the hoodie occasionally calling, but nothing swam by my position.

And then suddenly a female hooded merganser was in front of the blind.  Success!

Now here are the "behind the scenes" views:

Frontal View

View from inside

I sewed the die-cut camo material around the window to break up the hard line of the window edge and to help conceal movement inside the blind.  To break up the outline of the camer & lens I drape a piece of camo die-cut blind material over the camera and tripod.

Rear,interior view

This year I added a pair of decoys to my gear 

I'm hoping that the sight of the decoys will give the real ducks added confidence in aproaching my setup.  I'll let you know later if they are a worthy addition.

The complete rig ready to travel

Camera, tripod, folding chair, camera bag, blind, and decoy bag

With the blind on my back, chair on the right shoulder, camera bag & decoys on the left, and the tripod/camera rig over the shoulder, the entire rig can be carried into the field in one trip.

Northern Shovelers: Blackwater NWR

 Northern Shovelers feeding in Blackwater NWR freshwater marsh

 An Audubon field guide marks the Chesapeake Bay as the Northern Shovelers northern-most wintering range.  During our recent visit to Blackwater we found a small flock dabbling in one of the freshwater marsh impoundments.  This is a species that I have encounterd only once in my home area so to encounter them here was a special photo opportunity for me.

The shovelers were so engaged in feeding that it nearly every frame I captured had numerous ducks tipping.

Blackwater Honkers

Canada geese are by far the most commonly seen wildlife at Blackwater NWR.  The waterfowl was concentrated in the freshwater marshes to the right of wildlife drive. 

Some time after sunup the waterfowl flew to the fields that lay along Key Wallace Drive where thousands upon thousands of Canada geese could be seen foraging on the food plots.  I found it interesting that the huge flocks paid no attention to passing vehicles.  However upon slowing the geese would begin running directly away with a few taking flight.  Their reaction to slowing vehicles makes me wonder if there is a problem in the area with persons shooting from vehicles. 

Mixed with the geese were various species of ducks.  Here a male pintail and two females swim by some resting Canadas.

Middle Creek Ringers

Working my way through my archives I found these ring-necked duck shots from March of 2010.

Ring-necked ducks pass through Pennsylvania during their spring and fall migrations.  Nesting on ponds and marshes in the boreal forest of Canada and wintering in the southern US states they spend only a few weeks passing through southern Pennsylvania.

Ring-necked ducks are divers however unlike other divers they can leap into the air without pattering.  In this photo a male can be seen surfacing.  Look closely and you will see that the surface tension of the water causes him to looks as if his head is encased in plastic.

I photographed these ducks at the Middle Creek Wildlife Management area.  The images are cropped more that what I would have preferred but getting close to waterfowl is not a viable option at most of the  Middle Creek viewing spots.

Birds by Boat

Heading out on the water at this time of year one never knows what wildlife encounters that awaits.  During a recent outing I noticed a pair of gulls arrive and immediately begin fishing.  Moving closer I made this wing shot as one of the Bonaparte's Gulls hovered nearby.  These tiny gulls are common visitors to my area during both their spring and autumn migration.  This bird is still sporting its winter plumage.

Horned Grebe's in both winter and breeding plumage are also common during the spring migration.  They can be quite wary and difficult to photograph.  Usually they dive while still out of camera range.  This time I guessed correctly and steered the boat to intercept the grebe when it surfaced managing a couple of shots before it again submerged.

Rounding a bend in the shoreline I was already within range of a Ring-necked duck pair when I came into sight.  They immediately took flight allowing only a moment to capture the male in an explosion of spray.

Late Winter Wetlands Morning

Walking into the wetlands before dawn Saturday morning the sounds of geese and ducks calling filled the air.  At times the honking would rise to a crescendo followed by the sounds of flapping wings and splashing water.  The Canada goose mating season is in full swing and what a noise these big birds can make as they vie for mates and territory.  

Setting up my little pop-up blind, positioning the camera, and arranging additional camo material to complete the concealment I settled in to wait for the morning's activity to develop.  As daylight fell across the water the first wake I observed was that of a muskrat as it swam past my hide. 

As so often happens the clicking of the camera's shutter drew the muskrat's attention.  After looking me over from only a few feet away it decided that something was inherently unsafe about the strange noise and abruptly dove to safety. 

After waiting about an hour this colorful Wood Duck drake swam into view.  These ducks are extremely wary in this area as they are all survivors of at least one hunting season.  As this wood duck approached closely I then knew that I had gotten my camo right this time.

A Wood Duck hen poses prettily on the icy water

A touch of early morning sunlight brought the colors of this Wood Duck male alive.

The Wood Duck is our most colorful wild duck.  Even with these bright colors they are able to meld into the light and shadow of the surrounding vegetation, remain motionless, and hide in spots that one would swear would not conceal a mosquito let alone such a colorful duck.  This allows them to then practice their last line of defense which is to flush noisily, surprising the hunter or predator, as their rapid wing-beats quickly carry them out of harms way. 

I well remember back in the days of my youth when a large population of wood ducks lived on the creek that bordered our farm.  I recall one late July day, after we had harvested oats, counting over seventy wood ducks feeding in the oat stubble.  Those days are long past, the large flocks are gone.  Is it the result of hunting, of reduced water quality, the changes in farming practice, or other environmental changes; I do not know.  What I do know is how thankful I am to be able to find these beautiful ducks within a few miles of home and hope that each spring they will be able to return. 

Wetlands: The Other Ducks

While the Wood Ducks are the most commonly observed duck at the local wetlands, they are not alone.

I observed a hen Hooded Merganser with a brood the same evening as when I seen the first Wood Duck young although I was unable to capture a suitable image.  During each of my visits I have been able to locate at least one young Merganser and occasionally have been successful photographing it.  The Merganser young are often widely separated, not flocking together as the Wood Ducks and Mallards are prone to do. 

This young Hooded Merganser caught sight of me as I moved into position one recent morning.  After spending nearly an hour concealed behind a small island it finally moved into view checking to see if the intruder had left.  After only a couple of clicks of the shutter the young bird submerged.  Fortunately for me the bird had chosen a spot with good lighting to check from

A few minutes after the Merganser encounter this flock Mallards who had flown in a few minutes earlier checked me out from nearly the same location.  I believe this to be a flock of juvenile Mallards as immature birds and hens are very similar.  The bird farthermost to the right may be the mother although the oly difference that I can see is that its bill coloration is somewhat different from that of the others. 

Again with only a couple of frames exposed the Mallards scooted to safety, this time behind the nearby vegetation.  In this location I was not hidden nearly as well as I would have preferred and once the camera drew the duck's attention to me they wasted no time in retreating.