In this inlet, we spotted all kinds of goodies. That white speck in the center is a great egret.
Tom got a really good shot of a Northern shoveler through the binoculars. It may look like a lady mallard at first, but then, look at the muppet-sized snout!
The shoveler, shoveling.
It was also a good spot for meadowlarks, and this one demonstrated something interesting that I noticed only when reviewing the photos. When the meadowlark is looking at you, it appears to have a black "V" on its chest.
But when it turns its head, you can see that the pattern of black feathers on its neck is different! It looks like maybe the long chin feathers cover part of the black shape normally. "V" for "very deceptive..."
Then there was this bright colored bug...
On our way back we spotted some distinctive roadkill... poor bobcat! Cause of death: no longer having a face! Some mammals I've only seen via roadkill, and this is one. Let's hope for only live bobcats in the future!
I saw some ducks today, but I didn't have my camera, and my new phone doesn't come with a computer cord. One day, I will discover how to make it use bluetooth to talk to Fritz's computer, and I will show you low-quality pictures of ducks hanging out on a crazygreen pond. They looked like they were painting with broad brushstrokes when they traversed it. Is it mating season or something? Cuz they were totally paired up and sometimes the boys would fight.
ReplyDeleteYesssss. Ducks-painting please! SIX ducks a-painting! We can photoshop them so that they spell a word...
ReplyDeleteMating season: Birder's Handbook says that mallards display in fall and winter (though they don't mate for reals until spring) and that the females sometimes purposely call or display to get males to attack others! DUDE. If you get some pictures that would be excellent! I have a pending post about duck penises that would go great with a side of jerky ladies.
Read more:
http://www.stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/Duck_Displays.html