Saturday, January 27, 2007

If it looks like a duck, and walks like a duck...

This is a late post, because Geoff and I have been busy getting ready for Lorelei's birthday party tomorrow.
My BABY is turning THREE.
I plan on taking 3 million pictures, so be sure to check in tomorrow night.

This morning, I went to RAPTOR to play with some of the birds, and Marc has been kind enough to let me borrow his really nice scope to practice with and see if I would like one for myself someday.
Thanks, Marc! (You lurker!)
Jeff, one of our tireless volunteers, bander, treasurer, etc, gave me directions to a place I had heard had some nice duck action.
Thanks, Jeff! (You're a lurker, too! Cat's out of the bag, you two!)


two great blue herons
Winton Woods-West Fork Lake...this one's for you, Mare!
TWO stinkers in the same shot!
And yes, I was looking down at them. It's a very high dam.
But I wasn't looking for the dam...I was looking for the settling basin.
Ahh...there it is.

coots and gadwalls
A lifer for me...not the coots, but the gadwalls!
first digiscope pic
Here's my first (and only) digiscoped image today...before the batteries in the camera popped out. Please don't laugh.
digiscoped ring necked duck
Oh, yeah...that's a lot better.
It's a ring-necked duck. Which is a stupid name. How about Purple-Green-Black- Headed duck?
So that's one temporary scope and two lifers. I'll take it.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree - Ring-necked Duck is a stupid name for this bird. I guess if you have the bird in hand you can see a faint "ring" around its neck, sort of like the Red-bellied Woodpecker's red belly that you can never see. Personally, I would call it the "Ring-billed Duck," which is much easier to see. Or, how about the "Moby Duck?" If you look at the side of the bird, you can see a white whale shape, with the whale's head at the duck's butt and its tail up by the shoulder/neck area.

Not too bad for your first digiscoped picture. I'm only snickering in sympathy, not laughing out loud. That's called "vignetting" by the way, and you need to zoom your camera lens out to make it go away. You and I both have a long way to go till we can digiscope like BT3. Keep practicing. It's lots of fun when one comes out right.

Watch out for that loaner scope - you will become addicted quickly. That's what hooked me.

~Kathi

Anonymous said...

Wow, Lorelei is three today - happy birthday cutie pie! Why only three million photos?
Ohhhh, a scope, nice. . .
Congratulations on your two new lifers! Yay!!! I can't wait to see more ducks, and some coots for myself!
Yah, I don't see the ring on the neck of the duck. Hmmm, who comes up with these names?

LauraHinNJ said...

So what kind of scope are you gonna get?

Cool ring-billed duck.

;-)

Mary said...

Awesome, Susan! I need to learn about the scope thing. Two stinkers at once! Thanks, but I'm jealous. Have a great day with Lorelei...I am craving birthday cake.

Mare

Anonymous said...

I have a scope but my digiscoping attempts have been so lame I embarrassed to post them! I think the whale that katdoc sees looks more like thos orange fish crackers!

Anonymous said...

Congrats on your digiscoping photo!! And happy number 3 to your little one! Enjoy the day off!!