Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2013/02/24
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Gosh you have half your next book in one set there Doug. Uniformly wonderful photographs and of course your skill is very evident. You are truly on top of your game. I can't help feeling a little sorry for poor Mrs Northern Shoveller though. She looks positively embarrassed to be caught with her beak out by the Herr Duckarazzi *If you want to take more interesting pictures, stand in front of more interesting stuff* -- Joe McNally Cheers Geoff http://www.pbase.com/hoppyman On 24 February 2013 13:44, Doug Herr <wildlightphoto at earthlink.net> wrote: > 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 >