Frank’s Flats 10:00 am
No fewer than thirty male Goldeneyes today and not a single good photograph! Regardless, it was a wonderful experience watching them dance around the few females (not an accurate count because there were also a large number of Common Mergansers in the mix).
There were more male Lesser Scaups today, but I could only identify two females. Also, more Redheads. It was a great morning at Frank’s Flats, with the water looking mercurial due to the atmosphere of soft cloud over sun. For some reason the mud was stirred up along the water’s edge, sort of a strange phenomena. Geese followed me for the entire circumference of the pond, like a flotilla of approval. “Just thought we’d keep our eye on you.”
First siting of a Coot for the season and an enjoyable time watching trees full of Common Starlings.

Max and I begin every morning, stopping to watch the nesting Merlins. Today, this guy was enjoying watching me.

The courting action for the Red Winged Blackbirds is in full swing!

This was a beauty.

Stick? Max’s ACL has healed adequately enough, I let him go for a bit of a run on the flats and leash him up once we are edging the pond so as not to disturb the nesting birds.

Starlings wrapped around tree branches, everywhere. Once and awhile they would lift off…amazing stuff, this nature-thing!

Wanted to pick up on some markings. This wasn’t a bad zoom.

Not perfectly focused, but the camouflaging on the Northern Flicker is so amazing…had to post.

There’s a single Wigeon in this picture. Can you spot it? I’m so sad that I didn’t get some comical shots of the Goldeneyes today.

Still trying for a clear photo of the Scaups.

Two gents with their lady-friend….three more males were just out of this frame.

I think it snowed a bit last night…would that have caused this weird phenomena?

Redheads romancing. Lovely birds and a little less wary of me.
I’m no birder but am so impressed by your photographs…and how lovely to see Max looking so healthy and handsome. So envious of that brilliant blue sky, seems as if we haven’t seen the same for too many endless months of gray cloud, here, on the wet coast…