Two of these images show a loon with its mouth open but it made no sound so that made me wonder, do loons yawn?
Author Archives: Teri J Pieper
I saw most of these from my kayak. Except the last three. I struggled with the first one, the gray bird that appeared to be sitting on a nest but my friend quickly ID’ed it. I’m sure you will too! Then there was the constantly calling flycatcher which is probably more gray in normal light but the evening sun gave it a very warm tone. And then the zebra striped baby. Some ducks of various ages. Then there was another, very elegant, flycatcher. And then three forest birds. The last one had the most interesting call. I would not have guessed it but my friend recognized it and was able to locate it in the dappled forest. I have so much to learn!
A few scenes from a recent camping trip. You never know what you will see. Just go. Look!
Mallards are common ducks, seen frequently in many places. The ducks in these photos are hatch year males, males in eclipse plumage or females. I’ll leave it up to you to determine which. The photos are from three different days in roughly the same location.
As so often happens, my kayak allowed me to get fairly close to them (with a long lens in hand) without seeming to disturb them. I should have told them that in a relatively short time, people will be aiming shotguns at them. Not me.
Last week I got to see a Merlin family actively hunting dragonflies around a small lake. There were at least three birds and some, most likely the youngsters, were very vocal. That made them easy to spot. When I was there earlier in the summer, I thought there might be a nest in the area. I mostly photographed them from my boat near dusk and in the early morning as they perched on snags waiting for the unsuspecting dragonflies. It made for challenging conditions.
My Sibley field guide says this about Merlins: “Uncommon in open habitats. Nests in trees in forests with open areas. Solitary. Pugnacious; often harasses much larger birds. An active and energetic hunter; spots prey from perch or during low fast flight, closes with incredible speed, and attacks with abrupt turns, often from below. Feeds almost entirely on small birds; also takes dragonflies in midair.” It’s a pretty good description of the birds I observed.
My Everyday Photos 