Ring-necked Ducks
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 […]
The Name Says It All!
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
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
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
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 […]
A Group of Woodies
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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