My mom and Steve joined me. We left poor Marsy (our black lab) at home since we didn't want her to scare the birds away. Even with all of these things in my favor--tripod, no dog, known Buffleheads on a small pond-- I still cannot get a decent picture.
We went directly to the pond that borders County Rd. since we saw the ducks there on our way to the Barlow's Landing Rd. parking lot. I quietly moved ahead and crouched down to set up my tripod. I went with the 60" lightweight one since I thought it would be best for carrying while birding. I figured I could easily kneel down and still aim the camera up whatever bird I was trying to get. Well, that's easier said than done when you're trying to shoot ducks in a pond surrounded by bushes. That, and the fact that they're easily spooked. Wonder why....
I was able to find some holes in the branches of the bushes and got at least a few shots.
Male Bufflehead:
Very distant shot of a Hooded Merganser pair:
It was very difficult for me to get the camera to focus on the ducks, and when I did they were still blurry since they were on the other side of the pond. It also must have been entertaining watching me fumble around trying to adjust the camera angle on that thing.
Steve wasn't paying attention anyway- he was busying watching the house sparrows scramble away because of this guy.
Juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk:
The hawk had been in a tree directly above where I was taking pictures, and then flew to the other side of the pond, which is when I got the picture above. The most noticeable characteristics about this hawk were its small size, it's buffy-colored breast, the white spots on its back, and the barred tail.Before leaving this pond my mom pointed out this very pretty bird's nest among some bittersweet:
I'm not so bad when I'm actually trying to focus on the branches!
Here's the final picture from the day. It's a mystery duck to me. I took Larry's suggestion and tried posting it to a photo-sharing sight, but didn't get very far. I went to Bird Forum, and once I remembered what my username and password were I tried posting the photo, but the size restrictions were just too much and I gave up since it was taking so long.
Can anyone suggest another, more user-friendly bird photo-sharing site? I do want to get into the habit of running my mystery photos by skilled birders, but in the meantime I want to share this photo anyway.
The most distinctive thing about it is the all-white cheek/face and the thin band on the bill. However, the sun was very bright so there's a chance the whiteness of its face could be exaggerated.
I've referenced all of my guides, and usual bird websites to no avail. But, I did discover a helpful guide on the Ducks Unlimited site: Shortcuts to Duck ID.
3 comments:
It's tough to tell but at first glance it looks like a ruddy duck. They have sizable white cheek patches, are on the small side with a stiff tail and a comical expression. Their bills make them look like they're smiling. And that bird seems to be the right colors for a winter ruddy. Alternately, if that doesn't fit, maybe some kind of eider or scoter?
My guess is a female Ringed-necked Duck due to the ring on the bill and the dark cap on the head.
I was also looking at the Redhead Duck but the dark cap swayed me.
Just saw your Dec 11th post..Oops. that appears to be a good one too!
:)
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