Ring-necked Ducks

By Jim | Published March 24, 2015




On the way home from photographing the Sandhill Cranes on Nebraska’s Platte River, I made a short stop at the Squaw Creek NWR, located in NW Missouri. Bird numbers had been quite high in the days leading up to my visit (650,000 snow geese, 500 trumpeter swans, etc.), but the temperature had warmed so much […]

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The Name Says It All!

By Jim | Published February 4, 2015




I just love it whenever I come across wildlife that is self-described by it’s common name! One such example is the Wood Duck (Aix sponsa). I am fortunate to have this beautifully colored duck in my area from spring to late fall. When kayaking, I often see single wood ducks, or pairs of them, and […]

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Pair of Hoodies

By Jim | Published February 2, 2015




Today’s post features a few images from 2009, captured from a kayak while paddling around a local, Missouri Conservation Area. Hooded Mergansers, commonly called “Hoodies”, are such interesting looking birds. In this first image, a drake (male) is displaying, with his crest raised: In the next two images, a hen (female) has joined him as […]

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Lone Ruddy

By Jim | Published December 17, 2014




At one of the water pools on the Squaw Creek NWR, I found this lone Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) female, foraging near the road: Photographic Equipment Used: Canon 7D body Canon EF 500mm, f/4 IS lens + Canon 1.4x TC (shot at 700mm) Handheld, with IS “On” ISO 2500 Aperture f/11 Shutter 1/1250 sec.   […]

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Sure Sign of Fall

By Jim | Published November 1, 2014




You know it’s fall whenever the Wood Ducks start grouping in large groups and preparing to migrate to warmer climates: All of these images were shot from the kayak, about a week ago. Photographic Equipment Used: Canon 5D Mark 3 body Canon EF100mm-400mm, f/4.5-f/5.6 IS lens + Canon 1.4x TC, shot at 560mm Handheld from […]

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A Group of Woodies

By Jim | Published October 19, 2014




Yesterday’s kayak outing was pretty uneventful with regards to beaver activity. Again, they were inside the lodge, gnawing on wood pieces they transported inside … hmmm, seems like they’re active outside the lodge on an every-other-day basis! But I did manage to capture some other interesting wildlife, including a pair of juvenile Red-shouldered Hawks (I’ll […]

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Are Your Ducks All in Order?

By Jim | Published March 27, 2014




All good duck hens, including these Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa), have their little ducklings in line! I saw my first-of-year Wood Ducks in the area a couple of days ago, which prompted this post. Nesting should commence pretty soon. Wood ducks normally have two clutches every year in our area. I always look forward to […]

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Green Cay’s Pied-billed Grebes

By Jim | Published February 19, 2014




Pied-billed Grebes (Podilymbus podiceps) were quite common in the Green Cay Wetlands. And they were quite easy to get close enough for some wonderful photography. As I walked the boardwalk, the grebes were busy either preening, or foraging for food. They feed by diving underwater and catching fish, aquatic insects, frogs and crayfish. Here are […]

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Common Moorhen

By Jim | Published February 11, 2014




One of the few duck species noted at the Venice Rookery was the Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus). A coot-like bird, this “common” bird is quite colorful as an adult … with a thick bill and frontal shield that usually is red and yellow, and sometimes all yellow. This bird tends to be a bit shy, […]

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Those Gorgeous Wood Ducks

By Jim | Published October 24, 2013




(I’m busy collecting some new images this morning, so I’m re-posting a blog post of some favorite images I captured in my kayak, and published ~ 3 years ago. Enjoy!) My last time out kayaking, late last week before our weekend storms moved in, was quite fruitful for me. My main objective was to capture […]

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