On the Wing, Lesser Scaup

As I approached this pair of Lesser Scaup I began firing the camera, not until they took to the air did I get an image that made the grade. Lesser Scaup, like the Buffleheads are migratory visitors. According to my bird guides their nesting grounds are primarily in our upper Midwest and Midwestern Canada. If this is true they still have a long way to go before settling down for the summer.

During March and early April our area host many migrant ducks but as the weather warms only Mallards and Woodducks remain to nest. To date I have not captured a good shot of a Woody drake but I am working on it.

For those of you who are wondering, this is the little fishing machine that I pressed into photographic duty. It carries a 28hp gasoline engine on the rear and a 74lb. electric motor on the front. This particular lake, as many are, allows only electric motors to be used. For this I am thankful as it eliminates the disturbance created by speeding boats and allows all to have a quiet time on the water.

Lovely Buffleheads

Of all the ducks that pass through our area I think the Bufflehead drakes are up there near the top of the prettiest. Their brilliant white against a dark iridescent sheen creates an amazingly beautiful little creature.

Again this morning I took the boat in search of wildlife images. I noted Tom’s (Wom Tigly) comment about being able to approach wildlife better when using means other than walking. The boat is an advantage. As I am no saint and certainly cannot walk on water unless it is frozen it will take me places that I cannot go otherwise. The disadvantage is that we are not many months past the close of the duck hunting seasons. All of the migratory birds are veterans. The sight of a boat means trouble for along with it comes men, shotguns, and death. The ducks know what the effective range of the shotguns are and will flush before I can approach that close.

I have been using a 400mm lens on these excursions and it is bare minimum. All shooting must be done hand-held for sitting a tripod on a rocking boat would be of no help. Even with image stabilization and an ISO of 400 many of my shots do not exhibit the degree of sharpness that I desire. Focusing is also hit-or-miss since it is nearly impossible to hold the focus point on the subject for more than a moment. With that being said I have had enough success with the boat that I will definitely try to get in a few more runs before the migratory waterfowl has passed by.

Fishing is beginning to get underway here also. I dropped a line for a little bit this morning and picked up both a perch and a bluegill in 39 deg water. The first catch of ‘08

Common Loon

There is nothing common about the beautiful contrast and colors of the Common Loon.

Today I splashed my little boat for the first time this spring and took to the water in search of images. The air temp was 29 F this morning with a stiff North/North West breeze. This was my first attempt at photographing birds from the boat. Bobbing about in the small waves, driving the boat with a foot controlled electric motor, and trying to manipulate a 400mm lens all at the same time was quite a chore. Many of my shots ended in the recycle bin but there were enough keepers to make the morning more than a success.

This Loon allowed me to approach within about 30 yards. After I had shot about 40 images it tired of the game and dived. In a few minutes it resurfaced some distance away and I moved on in search of other subjects. The Osprey on my new header was another capture from this morning's boating excursion.

I will continue to post shots from our Florida trip interspersed with shots that I am currently capturing.

Little Blue Herons

On a cool windy evening I sighted my first Little Blue Herons. The Herons were gathered along the waters edge in the warm sunlight; sheltered from the cool breeze by the high marsh grass.

Note: I edited this post as I had previously incorrectly identified these birds as Blue Herons when in fact they are Little Blue Herons.

SkyWatch Friday, Dusk at Lake Parker

I captured this photograph shortly after the sun had slipped below the horizon. The last moments of my time at Lake Parker was also the most beautiful.


Although this was to be my last shot at Lake Parker before beginning the long drive home I will continue the Florida series as I have many more shot to share with you.

Great Egret

A very elegant bird, the Great Egret population was once decimated by “Plume” hunters. In the past there was considerable demand for their long lacy breeding plumage. High fashion ladies hats were often adorned with the long lacy feathers.

Today the population has recovered from this wasteful practice and Great Egrets can frequently be seen slowly stalking the shallows of Lake Parker in search of prey.

I found it to be somewhat difficult at times obtaining correct exposure of these birds. The whites frequently were hot while the background was underexposed.

Pattering Coot

Coots, being a relatively heavy bird in relation to its small wings, cannot take off from the water smoothly. Instead they must patter until they reach the speed at which they are able to become air-borne.

As you can see from this photograph they are moving quickly at this stage as three splashes are still hanging in the air while the coot is touching down yet again.

This photograph is yet another capture from Lakeland Florida’s, Lake Parker.

Female Hooded Merganser

Continuing on with my Florida Bird Series; we encountered a pair of Female Hooded Mergansers one morning. I don’t know where the boys were hanging out as the two females were all we sighted.

As I continue to work through the birds I photographed on this trip I am astounded at the variety of species represented around Lake Parker. I visited this lake three mornings and one evening. Here at home in Pennsylvania I believe I could pursue birds for an entire year and still not photograph as many different species as I did at Lake Parker in about twelve hours of shooting.

Snipe Hunting Anyone?

I’ll interrupt the Florida series to post an unusual bird I captured today.

While checking out a wetland on our family farm I flushed a small flock of birds which I thought were woodcock. I thought it unusual for woodcock to be in this grassy wetland. These birds flushed, flew a short distance and dropped back into the wetland. As I approached it was nearly impossible to see them as they sat very still. Fortunately I did manage to pick out a couple of birds in spite of their excellent camouflage.

While working with the photos I realized that these were not woodcock. A trip to the bird guides informed me that they are Common Snipe.

Impromptu Photo Session

During our visit to Bok Sanctuary a gentleman approached Chad. He informed Chad that they had came without a camera and ask if Chad would photograph this young lady in front of the tower and e-mail them the photo-file. Chad, always the accommodating helpful young man that he is went right to work.

I always enjoy watching Chad work as he exerts considerable energy and strikes some interesting poses himself :)