Playing Catch Up

I've been spending so much time photographing birds and working on the teardrop lately that I've neglected this blog, and for that I apologize.

This post will attempt to get caught up on the bird photos.  We've been in the midst of migrations and returns for a while now, making for a lot of material.  I'll start with some Snowy Egrets, among my favorite birds to watch and photograph.  They are back in substantial numbers now.

The next feature is Northern Shovelers.  Normally these guys would be gone by now, but this one pair persists, apparently having missed their flight north.  Their oversized beaks are used to stir up and filter the mud at the bottom of the pond.  They are most often seen with their backsides sticking up into the air while scouring the pond bottom.

In this last shot the male appears to be practicing yoga.

Another of my favorite waders is the Little Blue Heron.  There is much discussion locally by those who know more than I as to whether this bird is a hybrid with a Tri-Color Heron.  Noted are the white streak on his neck and the white feathers under the wings and on the thighs.

If the bird is a hybrid, certainly the impact of the Tri-Color is minimal.  Yet, I don't believe a true Little Blue would have all those lighter features.

Finally, for today, is a Semipalmated Sandpiper in a rare still pose.  Normally these little guys (very small, considered one of the "peeps") are busily poking about in the muck you see in this photograph and scurrying from spot to spot.  With them constantly on the move, a non-blurry photo is difficult to come by. 

I still have a few hundred shots already taken to sort through, so more should be forthcoming soon.  I've been trying to get good shots of Semipalmated Plovers, Black Bellied Plovers (in breeding plumage), Dunlins (also in breeding plumage), and more.

Next up:  an update on the teardrop.