[Leica] IMG: February is duck month

[jhnichols at lighttube.net (Jim Nichols)]

You have a bunch of nice ones, Doug, but, for me, the "talking" Widgeon 
takes the prize.

Jim Nichols
Tullahoma, TN USA
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Doug Herr" <wildlightphoto at earthlink.net>
To: <lug at leica-users.org>
Sent: Saturday, February 23, 2013 9:44 PM
Subject: [Leica] IMG: February is duck month


> For most of the month I've concentrated on the central valley's anatidae 
> (ducks, geese and swans).  Before long spring duck migration will be upon 
> us (it has already begun for Sandhill Cranes and hummingbirds).  The male 
> ducks have their brightest plumage of the year and toward the end of 
> hunting season they've learned where people are benign.  The month started 
> for me with a trip to Chico California; several good duck refuges along 
> the way provided opportunities for photos of Snow Goose, Greater 
> White-fronted Goose and American Wigeon:
>
> http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/anatidae/sngoos06.html
> http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/anatidae/gwgoos06.html
>
> http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/anatidae/amwige01.html
> http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/anatidae/amwige02.html
>
> between duck refuges I also spotted a Ferruginous Hawk, a winter visitor 
> to the area:
>
> http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/accipitridae/fehawk05.html
>
> (all the above photos: R8/DMR, Leitz Novoflex 560mm f/6.8 Telyt)
>
> I was diverted from ducks mid-month by reports of Rock Wrens at nearby 
> Folsom Lake.  The Rock Wren is a species I have very few adequate photos 
> of so I spent a couple of weekends tracking this bird down:
>
> http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/troglodytidae/rowren01.html
> http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/troglodytidae/rowren02.html
>
> (Rock Wren: R8/DMR, 280mm f/4 APO-Telyt-R, 2x APO-Extender-R)
>
> And to finish the month I ducked out at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge. 
> The male ducks are easy to distinguish from each other:
>
> http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/anatidae/citeal04.html
> http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/anatidae/gwteal03.html
> http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/anatidae/nopint02.html
> http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/anatidae/noshov05.html
>
> Female ducks are more difficult to identify but the details in the bills 
> reveal their secret identities.  The Northern Shoveler has a big dorky 
> bill:
>
> http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/anatidae/noshov04.html
>
> The Northern Pintail's bill is uniformly (or nearly so) dark:
>
> http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/anatidae/nopint05.html
>
> and the Gadwall's bill is yellow-and-black mottled:
>
> http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/anatidae/gadwal06.html
>
> Another bird which can be identified by the bill is the Ross's Goose. 
> This species is very similar to the Snow Goose (first link in this post) 
> but has a smaller bill which lacks the black "lips" of the Snow Goose:
>
> http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/anatidae/rogoos01.html
>
> Something spooked the Ross's Goose flock and they all left in a flurry of 
> wings and water spray:
>
> http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/anatidae/rogoos02.html
>
> (R8/DMR, 280mm f/4 APO with and without extenders)
>
> All comments welcome.
>
> Doug Herr
> Birdman of Sacramento
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>
>