ESCAPED pet duck
He's been on the river in Burford for the last 3 years, we always make sure he gets fed in winter when we go out there.
There are some very funny looking duck crossbreeds on that stretch
They're Coots, the white on the head is a giveaway - do you have the saying "bald as a coot" ?
If you look closely, you can see they have white feet, the toes have flat broad edges (rather like the front end of an SR-71 in shape) and they are quite effective for swimming - also good for running ON the water in a fight.
And there are mallards (duck and drake) and swans - the muggers of the park, and right at the back, too small to ID them, we have some gulls out of breeding plumage.
Paul... Thanks for sharing these very special images with us.
I will get back to you tomorrow on the rest of your birds. I just got home from work and in FOUR hours need to get up to meet my BIRDING buddy ;) hopefully I come home with atleast one good image.
NIGHTY NIGHT ;)
CAMERA BIRD NERD #1
BIRD NERD O'CANON
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" - Benjamin Franklin
Did I ever tell you about the time I was in little estero lagoon (Ft Myers Beach FL) LITERALLY with my camera 6 inches about the water while spoonbills were feeding within 2 feet of me?
I filled the roll and went to change film and a very close spoonbill caught some flare from my lens as I was moving the camera! My lens hood was ripped off my lens and my full roll took a dive
I HAD some great images of spoonbills.... I think?
CAMERA BIRD NERD #1
BIRD NERD O'CANON
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" - Benjamin Franklin
The SIXTH bird is mostlikely a tufted duck, but looks like a ring necked duck by the bill color
You could ID the tufteds better from these, though perhaps not 1 & 2
We find the females far more adventurous than the males. They're only visitors here, not breeding on the lake, and it takes about 5 weeks to encourage them in to feed with the mallards and coots.
They are a RARE bird in the US, but I find one nearly every winter very hard duck to pick out when it is with 500- 2000 scaup and ring-necked ducks in a very wide inlet
CAMERA BIRD NERD #1
BIRD NERD O'CANON
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" - Benjamin Franklin
Man Paul, this thread is getting confusing. Well anyway here is a new one for me. I don't think I have even seen this bird before. I know its a heron, but what kind?
John Cowan
Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut.
~Ernest Hemingway~
Man Paul, this thread is getting confusing. Well anyway here is a new one for me. I don't think I have even seen this bird before. I know its a heron, but what kind?
I just ID'd it a few seconds ago, so I now know what it is. Do you paul?
Damn it's so exciting to see a new species that you had no idea even exsisted before you saw it!
John Cowan
Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut.
~Ernest Hemingway~