Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2013/02/23
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Doug Herr SHOWED: Subject: [Leica] IMG: February is duck month > For most of the month I've concentrated on the central valley's anatidae > (ducks, geese and swans).<<<< Hi Doug, Thank you for the lecture on the central valley's anatidae (ducks, geese and swans). :-) Particularly with your incredible photographs! I still say one more time for the umpteenth time......... "LEICA SHOULD HAVE YOU UNDER CONTRACT ILLUSTRATING THEIR PRODUCTS IN SUCH INCREDIBLE FASHION!" I've said it so many times but then they never listen to anyone in the real world of photography anyway! But it's their loss without question! Because , "YOU DA BEST MAN!" :-) NO QUESTION EVER! Our good fortune gain because you present the crew with your great talents using LEICA gear in catching these fleeting moments of our feathered friends. And the background information furthering our education. Thank you very much. cheers, ted >Before long spring duck migration will be upon us (it has already begun for >Sandhill Cranes and hummingbirds). The male ducks have their brightest >plumage of the year and toward the end of hunting season they've learned >where people are benign. The month started for me with a trip to Chico >California; several good duck refuges along the way provided opportunities >for photos of Snow Goose, Greater White-fronted Goose and American Wigeon: > > http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/anatidae/sngoos06.html > http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/anatidae/gwgoos06.html > > http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/anatidae/amwige01.html > http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/anatidae/amwige02.html > > between duck refuges I also spotted a Ferruginous Hawk, a winter visitor > to the area: > > http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/accipitridae/fehawk05.html > > (all the above photos: R8/DMR, Leitz Novoflex 560mm f/6.8 Telyt) > > I was diverted from ducks mid-month by reports of Rock Wrens at nearby > Folsom Lake. The Rock Wren is a species I have very few adequate photos > of so I spent a couple of weekends tracking this bird down: > > http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/troglodytidae/rowren01.html > http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/troglodytidae/rowren02.html > > (Rock Wren: R8/DMR, 280mm f/4 APO-Telyt-R, 2x APO-Extender-R) > > And to finish the month I ducked out at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge. > The male ducks are easy to distinguish from each other: > > http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/anatidae/citeal04.html > http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/anatidae/gwteal03.html > http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/anatidae/nopint02.html > http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/anatidae/noshov05.html > > Female ducks are more difficult to identify but the details in the bills > reveal their secret identities. The Northern Shoveler has a big dorky > bill: > > http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/anatidae/noshov04.html > > The Northern Pintail's bill is uniformly (or nearly so) dark: > > http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/anatidae/nopint05.html > > and the Gadwall's bill is yellow-and-black mottled: > > http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/anatidae/gadwal06.html > > Another bird which can be identified by the bill is the Ross's Goose. > This species is very similar to the Snow Goose (first link in this post) > but has a smaller bill which lacks the black "lips" of the Snow Goose: > > http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/anatidae/rogoos01.html > > Something spooked the Ross's Goose flock and they all left in a flurry of > wings and water spray: > > http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/anatidae/rogoos02.html > > (R8/DMR, 280mm f/4 APO with and without extenders) > > All comments welcome. > > Doug Herr > Birdman of Sacramento > http://www.wildlightphoto.com > > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information