Pipe Creek Wildlife Area part 4

resting here...he tucks his bill and swings his body back and forth (like a weather vane) to keep an eye on everything.

after a few peeps from him he was off....

been trying for that "closer" Black-bellied Plover shot...

female Mallard...

a pair of female Northern Pintails...the duck's are showing back up...

my view today...

caught a Red-necked Phalarope in flight...

found the immature Little Blue Heron again...but this time I noticed he was hunting from the air...

he was flying around diving down at the water...

tried to fix this shot but added too much sharpness...

a dive and a successful hunt....haven't seen a Snowy Egret do that....

an immature American Herring Gull...

today was chase your neighbor day....a Forster's Tern chases a Fish Crow.

A Swallow chase's a Forster's Tern

a Belted Kingfisher hovering high over the marsh....

and gets chased by a Forster's Tern...

.............

in this shot the Kingfisher has its body twisted around...and eludes the tern.

last shot for now...a juvenile Forster's Tern...till next time.

Nice close-ups, Burd. I like the Marbled Godwit and Black-bellied Plover. Also like the Tern, Kingfisher sequence.

Hey, 40 minutes is a breeze. Just go to bed early and get up early. Time flies when you're having fun !

Good Night !!!

Great photos, Burd. The first one of the Marbled Godwit is stunning, the way it shows off the feathers. I love all the flight shots, as well. The chase sequences are really good and the first shot of the LBH is beautiful.

Thanks! Ottawa is too big...you need a whole day to get around the place lol...but do have plans on a visit in Sept. for migrating Warbler's. I was going to buy a house 2 mile's from Ottawa but it would have been 75+miles everyday to go back and forth to work...my current truck has 170,000 miles and my son and daughter didn't favor it too well. lol

Edited to say: Teal Season is coming in mid-Sept. and Pipe Creek will be closed for waterfowl season into December...soon I will have to move on to another area for birdwatching, but the bay will have many duck's and merganser's to watch and photograph.

This message was edited Aug 23, 2010 12:38 AM

Been a few day's since the last visit and things are looking different already. Tern's were down to about 30 vs a normal of over 100. Dowitcher's are down to just a few. Pipe Creek has been fun this year with the rare migrants I was able to take photo's of, and yet today I found out that Larry Richardson (we met in early May) on Aug.13th spotted a Black-bellied Whistling Duck at the creek. :( lol Here's the report... http://cranecreekbirding.blogspot.com/ (click on first link)
Another birder today reported a Red Knot was seen earlier in the week.
No new bird today (official) lol. However I do have some shots to share from today.

Immature Bald Eagle

This message was edited Aug 26, 2010 11:52 PM

Gray Catbird...berry season is starting...will be visiting Sheldon's Marsh for some Warbler's...seen a Wilson's today along with a Magnolia and a Yellow Warbler.

Willet was still present as was the Little Blue Heron...a few Snowy Egret's are still around.

Had a pair of juvenile Am. Goldfinches keeping me company today.

the other...

lost his balance...lol

a Greater Yellowleg's has a stretch...

now that's a stretch...last. A couple more visits and that's it until Jan./Feb. Till next time.

Burd, your photos just get better each time! They're so nice and sharp. Wonderful job on all of them.

Beautiful shots Burd!

Nice set Burd! I love that last photo especially! Great detail in the wings!

Very nice photos, Burd. I like the Greater Yellowlegs shots.

Your practicing is paying off big time Burd. Lovely shots.

Thanks all! In the word's of Linth...Experiment, experiment, experiment !!! Ive been using TV and manual mode quite a bit. Nice to be able to quickly switch to other modes. Still more experimenting needed. The Eagle shot is not sharp which is typical for me. lol About 20 shots on him as he soared around and couldn't get a lock...but gimme a duck flying by and...lol

Edited to say: There will be no more Black-bellied Whistling Duck sightings unless I get a picture of one in the future....ace birder or not I would "want a picture"...especially when cameras are the way they are now and that Larry's sighting is only the 2nd one recorded in the state of Ohio.

This message was edited Aug 28, 2010 11:11 PM

Uhumm...sniff sniff...will return in February. lol

All those shots showing the wings are nice!!

I agree with Duc and Nanny...you are getting some great detail Burd!

And its February! And with that a new year at Pipe Creek Wildlife Area. We all know we want to take the best pictures possible but that is not always going to happen. But sunlight is on the way and hopefully I get some better quality shots. For now here is what today's visit has yielded.
Canada Goose