This and That from around the Lake

Bonaparte's Gull

My wildlife photography has not been all that productive lately with all of the bad weather, other obligations and interest taking up much of my free times so for this post I dipped back into images captured earlier this year. 

Ring-billed Gull

Ring-billed gulls occasionally visit the local lake.  I usually only observe them perhaps two or three times each year.

Osprey

Since the Osprey's return I have been seeing them during each of my lake visits.  This osprey can be seen clutching a nice sized pumpkin-seed sunfish in its talons.  Not close enough to make a great image the shot is a great reminder of a pleasant morning spent on the water.

Osprey Take-off

A shot I made last year and never got around to posting.  Now that I feel like I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel to find images to post I guess its time to get it out. 

Camera Critters: Bonaparte's Gull

Bonaparte's Gull Close-up

While fishing the lake this morning I noticed a pair of birds a considerable distance away.  Checking with binoculars revealed a pair of Bonaparte's Gulls riding the waves.  As I approached them with the boat they insisted on swimming away, not exactly the view I was seeking for a photograph.  Suddenly a powerful gust of wind rippled the water and spun the birds nearly 180 degrees; CLICK....That was the shot I was looking for!

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Camera Critters: Bonaparte's Gulls

Last weekend I discovered a flock of Bonaparte’s Gulls that had stopped at our local lake during their spring migration. I posted a few of my better shots then and am continuing with more photographs from that event today.

These birds were quite docile allowing me to bring the boat to within a few feet of them while photographing from different lighting angles. On this occasion a number of the birds took off nearly in unison. The bright morning sun lit the birds perfectly during takeoff silhouetting them perfectly against the shadowed shoreline.

This little gull, deciding to join its mates resting on the water, gave me a beautiful pass shot as it came in for a landing.

Sometimes we capture poses completely missed with the naked eye and this photo is a good case in point. The gulls had separated into two groups spaced about a quarter of a mile apart with gulls flying back and forth between. The situation was perfect for pass shooting and I spent about one half of an hour photographing the birds as they flew.


Only when reviewing the images did I notice that this bird was flying straight ahead while turning its head turned upside down. I am well aware that gulls are masters of the air but this is an incredible feat that I did not expect even from these agile acrobats of the air.

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Morning on the Lake: Bonaparte's Gulls

Arriving at the lake before sunup this morning the first thing I noticed was a raft of Bonaparte’s Gulls. These birds winter along the coast, migrating far up into Canada to nest. Nearly every spring I encounter these tiny gulls on the lake but they never tarry long.

These gulls are quite trusting and will usually allow me to approach quite closely with the boat. Using the slowest speed setting on the electric motor I was able to swim along with the flock maneuvering the boat for advantageous lighting angles.

The dead calm morning was great for reflection shots 

Backlighting accents the stream of spray following the little gull’s take-off

Today was an exceptionally beautiful day for early April with afternoon temps reaching the mid 70’s. It was also a day I will always remember for the extremely rare encounter with a very unusual animal, but that will have to wait until my next post. Stay tuned……..