Wordless Wednesday: Whistlers
Please click on the thumbnail version of each photograph of the Black-bellied Whistling Ducks to see the slightly larger version of that picture. Enjoy!
Please click on the thumbnail version of each photograph of the Black-bellied Whistling Ducks to see the slightly larger version of that picture. Enjoy!
Wishing all a wonderful Thanksgiving! Here are some photographs I took weeks ago of whistlers that I hope you will like. Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger photo. Enjoy!
I took these pictures in my yards in the past week. Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture. Enjoy!
I had seen a Gadwall Duck on the pond most days during the past few weeks. There were small group of Gadwalls here within the past month, but I think that the other Gadwalls are on the nearby lake. The Gadwall ducks are a lovely medium-sized grey-ish brown duck with a white patch on each of its wing feathers. The bill is a dark blue-brown. These ducks have a faint line over their eyes. Both genders pretty much look alike. This is a tipping duck that stretches its head and neck and tips downward in the shallow water to pull up aquatic bulbs, grasses and weeks. These ducks also occasionally eat insects but plants are their main diet. I have noticed that sometimes a stray duck or two will mix-in with the other ducks, especially with a group of Mallards. The Gadwalls are migratory visitors here. I enjoyed seeing the Gadwall here on the little farm pond. I took these pictures in my yard on Feb. 7, 2012, and Feb. 13, 2012. Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture. Enjoy!
Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture. Enjoy!
I was in my old lake neighborhood a few days ago and was walking near the dam and saw this hen Mallard Duck. I tried to be stealthy and take the pictures but she saw me and off she flew. She basically just did a low touch and go maneuver. Now usually it is fairly hard to take pictures of ducks in flight. In fact, many photographers who want to take pictures of ducks often use “Duck blinds” just like duck hunters do. I snapped away, basically following the duck in flight with my camera. She was flying very low and slow just to avoid the presence of that pesky human. The nearby Common Coots as well as the other Mallard Duck just paddled away a little farther out on the lake instead of taking wing. The Mallards are generally pretty tolerant of people but apparently not this one. I appreciate seeing the waterfowl here in beautiful Cumberland County, Tennessee on many bodies of water such as community lakes and farm ponds. Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture. Enjoy!
Our weather has been breezy and cool on the lake shore. I have not been seeing much wildlife at all in the last couple of days. I am going to show a few unpublished pictures that I took way back in the early Spring here on the lake this year.
I like to try to take pictures of ducks in flight whenever I happen to be able to do so. Ducks are quite quick! I try to track the duck with the camera and snap as many pictures as I can. The easiest time to get good pictures is when the duck is close to shore and is either taking off, or is slowing to land. The hardest times to get the pictures are those when the ducks are just flying low and as fast as possible. It does not help either, that many ducks are quite wary of people. No wonder some photographers will sit in camouflaged duck blinds in order to take photographs of ducks and other waterfowl. I took the picture of the female or hen Bufflehead Duck as I was standing on a dock at the marina taking pictures of the American White Pelicans the other day. So without further comment, here are the newest pictures of ducks in flight here on the lake.