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!

Wordless Wednesday: Flying “Whistlers”

 

Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger picture of the Black-bellied Whistling Ducks in flight.  Enjoy!

Whistlers Wishing You a Happy Thanksgiving

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!

 

A Wood Duckling Learning to Fly

It seems like I surprise the Wood Ducks here on the pond a lot.  They are so skittish that whenever I approach the pond and they are on the same shoreline as I am, they flee.  The hen Wood Duck duckling was out with its mother and was startled by my presence.  The pair took off in a low “Touch and go” flight to the middle of the pond.  That actually is good practice for the duckling.  Soon it will be a very confident flier.  I took these pictures on July 4, 2012 in my yard.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday

Male Northern Cardinal

Canada Goose

Female Northern Yellow-shafted Flicker

I took these pictures in my yards in the past week.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!

 

Wood Ducks

The Blue Winged Teal Ducks, Part 2 of 2

The Blue Winged Teal Ducks were here on the little farm pond for just a few minutes on April 2, 2012.  The trio of two drakes and a hen were just settling down on the water when a few local cattle decided to cool off by wading in the pond.  Off the ducks flew!  Now they are on the way back up North to their nesting grounds in Northern U.S. states and in Canada.  They like ponds, lakes, and slow shallow streams and marshes on rivers.  By the way, on Thursday afternoon, April 5, 2012, I saw seven of these Blue Winged Teal here on the pond.  So the original trio were the advance scouts for the small flock.  The other possibility is that the seven are a split-off group of a larger flock and the other ducks are out on the neighborhood community lake nearby.  I was glad to see them here!  Other than the one photo below dated 4/5/12, the other pictures were taken on 4/2/12.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!

Photo taken on 4/5/12

The Gadwall Duck on the Pond

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!

Wordless Wednesday – Waterfowl

Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!

A Startled Hen Mallard on the Lake

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!

Flying Ducks

Mallard Ducks

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.

Drake Mallard Duck

Hen Mallard Duck

Hen Mallard Duck

Hen Wood Duc

Ruddy Duck

Drake Wood Duck

Bufflehead Duck