Nature Photography (Formally Spring is in the Air)

[Newt]

You should come down here and do some snorkeling. We have over 300 species of fish in Tennessee alone. The rainbow darter's not even the most colorful of them!

I used to keep a lot of native fish too. Unfortunately, state fishing regs now prohibit taking live fish of most species away from the water, so that really puts a damper on things. It's well-intentioned, I know, but I wish they would make some provision for responsible aquarists like me.

[Gwangi]

Amazing how much our interests overlap. Shame this is not the case in the "real world". I'm also an avid fan of native fishes. Catching/collecting them, photographing them and at one time keeping them. Sunfishes were always my favorite, I've kept over a dozen species of those guys and at one point bred some Northern longears and spotted sunfish. NY doesn't have nearly the diversity that Tennessee has but we have over 100 species including some gorgeous darters, shiners, sunfishes etc. It's a dream of mine to collect in Tennessee (and yes, I do have "Fishes of Tennessee", luckily when I bought it, it was $20). NY also suffers the same laws about collecting natives but luckily there is an increasing number of people with the proper permits who breed and sell natives for the aquarium trade. It's not the same as collecting your own but it's something! Someday I'll do another native tank, until then I'll just enjoy them in the wild.

No amphibian activity here but tons of snow geese moving through, the robins have come out of hiding and the red-wing black birds are back. Lots of rain predicted for next week with weather in the 40s and 50s so hopefully soon!

[Doug Watson]

Spring has officially come to the Great White North. Today when I walked outside the air was filled with the sounds of Redwing Blackbirds calling to each other I got shots of one in a tree across the street. Also the Canada Geese are flying in in huge flocks. I have seen some before today but today the flocks are enormous. A friend that lives about 40 minutes south of here says he has seen 4 Robins, but I have yet to see one. It has been hovering around 0 degrees for about a week but today is almost balmy at + 50 Fahrenheit. Finally light at the end of the tunnel.

My first returning Redwing


Canada Geese in V formation


Canada Geese, one of the big flocks


An Easter miracle, a Canada Goose walks on water. This is the same pond where I saw the Egrets one spring, but the ice hasn't melted yet.

[Gwangi]

Great pictures Doug, sounds like you're only a little bit behind us. The majority of geese have passed through here, excluding those that will stay here to nest. We had a ton of snow geese a week ago that I never got the chance to photograph. It makes me wonder if any of the geese you've photographed were the same ones I've seen fly by or photographed? Impossible to know, but an interesting thought.

Lots of pictures from me too, mostly waterfowl.

Our European members might know what this is but it's a rare sight on this side of the pond. This is a tufted duck that was a local sensation among birders a few weeks ago. Added to the life list!


Canvasback and redhead ducks.






One of the first robins I've gotten to see, this guy showed up a couple weeks ago.


Always photogenic Canada geese.


A couple of mute swans. Added these to my life list.




And some pictures from today, Canada geese to start. Today is beautiful in NY, 66 degrees Fahrenheit.




Hooded merganser


An another rare bird, a red-throated loon. Added to the life list!

[Doug Watson]

Great pictures he says and then he blows me out of the water with his waterfowl shots. Wow! Its amazing how close we are yet how many birds miss us after they leave you to fly north. I have never seen a Red Throated Loon and the Hooded Merganser doesn't make it here either. That Tufted Duck is a score, never seen that either. Love the Canvasbacks and Redheaded Ducks, how close were you? I have seen Canvasbacks but they and the Redheads are prairie birds so they don't nest here either. I have only seen a few Snow Geese mixed in with Canada geese here but I have driven about an hour east into Quebec in the spring and seen thousands on their way north. Looks like you have a couple Bufflehead ducks in the background of your first mute swan shots.

[Gwangi]

Great pictures he says and then he blows me out of the water with his waterfowl shots. Wow! Its amazing how close we are yet how many birds miss us after they leave you to fly north. I have never seen a Red Throated Loon and the Hooded Merganser doesn't make it here either. That Tufted Duck is a score, never seen that either. Love the Canvasbacks and Redheaded Ducks, how close were you? I have seen Canvasbacks but they and the Redheads are prairie birds so they don't nest here either. I have only seen a few Snow Geese mixed in with Canada geese here but I have driven about an hour east into Quebec in the spring and seen thousands on their way north. Looks like you have a couple Bufflehead ducks in the background of your first muted swan shots.

lol, don't worry, come summer the tables will turn and it will be your reptile pictures I'll be envious of.

I'm in a sweet spot for birds for sure, waterfowl in particular. I live in the Atlantic flyway where all manner of birds converge. It's basically like a bird highway. Add to that two large lakes on either side of me that seldom if ever freeze over, the Atlantic ocean and great lakes being not too far away and the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge (a giant marsh) at the north end of one of the lakes and you have a perfect birding hotspot. I was really close to the canvasback and redheads, closest I've ever been in fact. They were in a local marina. Canvasbacks in particular I seldom see up close. They won't nest here either, just stopping by until they resume their trip north. The redheads will often overwinter on the lakes. The birds with the mute swan is actually a pair of hooded mergansers though there were buffleheads out and about. I really needs a better lens for my camera, you're only seeing the birds I can zoom in on, there are so many more just out of reach of my camera to make photographing them pointless.

And oh yeah, I guess it's spring after all. Found this spotted salamander tonight crossing the road. I had a hunch they would be out, now to find where he was heading!

[Doug Watson]

I live in the Atlantic flyway where all manner of birds converge. It's basically like a bird highway.

And oh yeah, I guess it's spring after all. Found this spotted salamander tonight crossing the road. I had a hunch they would be out, now to find where he was heading!

Its funny when you look at the eastern flyways they converge over NY and then they split up over the great lakes and several miss me. Most of what we get stay here except for Snowy Owls. They come down for the winter and then head north for the summer.

That's a beauty of a Spotted Salamander if I had found him I would have been tempted to chuck my fish and turn my tank into a terrarium. I have only found one of those in my life and it was on the Quebec side of the Ottawa river and he wasn't that big,

[Gwangi]

Its funny when you look at the eastern flyways they converge over NY and then they split up over the great lakes and several miss me. Most of what we get stay here except for Snowy Owls. They come down for the winter and then head north for the summer.

We get snowy owls too, some years more than others. Last winter we had quite a few and I managed to track one down, I'm still kicking myself over forgetting my camera. It was sitting on the ground, maybe 70 feet away or so. Would have made for some great pictures. At least I got to see one though! It was my first.

That's a beauty of a Spotted Salamander if I had found him I would have been tempted to chuck my fish and turn my tank into a terrarium. I have only found one of those in my life and it was on the Quebec side of the Ottawa river and he wasn't that big,

I used to have a spotted salamander as a pet, had him for about 10 years. Not sure how old he was because he was given to me by someone who caught it from the wild. He was a very cool pet but honestly didn't do much, just hung out under his log and came out to see you during feeding time. I've only seen a small handful in the wild myself but warm rainy spring nights are the time to do it. Hopefully I can track down one of their breeding pools this year.

[Gwangi]

I just knew the peepers would be out tonight and sure enough, they were! Also found a skunk who wasn't keen on being photographed but did allow me to watch him clean himself for a good 5-10 minutes. Managed to spotlight a woodcock aka timberdoodle but it was too dark for a picture. Heard but not seen, a pack of coyotes. A good night in the great outdoors.

[Doug Watson]

I just knew the peepers would be out tonight and sure enough, they were! Also found a skunk who wasn't keen on being photographed but did allow me to watch him clean himself for a good 5-10 minutes. Managed to spotlight a woodcock aka timberdoodle but it was too dark for a picture. Heard but not seen, a pack of coyotes. A good night in the great outdoors.

More great shots. We woke up to freezing temps and 2 inches of snow, supposed to stay cold all weekend, so much for spring.
Have you ever watched a woodcock mating display? I did as a teenager with a few fellow birders. They do it at dusk and after dark but seems you do your best hunting at night so shouldn't be a problem for you. The females stay on the ground and the male climbs way up in the air only to dive bomb the female in an erratic flight pattern. Their wings make a whistling sound. It's an amazing display but I have a feeling you knew about it or have already seen it.

[stargatedalek]

We don't get snowy owls here very often, some of the rescues have a few but I've been told its only some years they come, and usually they come up from the south east states rather than south from the northern provinces. I have been lucky enough to spot an ibis a few years ago, now that is really a (bitter sweet) treat to see at these latitudes. The snow hasn't melted yet here but the gulls have left, they come into the big cities during the winter and when spring comes they return to the rural areas.

[Doug Watson]

I was concentrating on the wildlife so I didn't notice the water drop that hit the water behind the peeper and the displaced water that bounced up as you took the shot, if I am correct in what I am seeing. That's a one in a million shot. Also love the nonchalant skunk.

[Gwangi]

I just knew the peepers would be out tonight and sure enough, they were! Also found a skunk who wasn't keen on being photographed but did allow me to watch him clean himself for a good 5-10 minutes. Managed to spotlight a woodcock aka timberdoodle but it was too dark for a picture. Heard but not seen, a pack of coyotes. A good night in the great outdoors.

More great shots. We woke up to freezing temps and 2 inches of snow, supposed to stay cold all weekend, so much for spring.
Have you ever watched a woodcock mating display? I did as a teenager with a few fellow birders. They do it at dusk and after dark but seems you do your best hunting at night so shouldn't be a problem for you. The females stay on the ground and the male climbs way up in the air only to dive bomb the female in an erratic flight pattern. Their wings make a whistling sound. It's an amazing display but I have a feeling you knew about it or have already seen it.

Yeah, the temps have dipped here too but while it did snow a little there was thankfully no accumulation. I don't think I could handle living any further north than I do already. And you are correct, I'm aware of the woodcock display. I've only ever seen it on documentaries though, most of my experience with them is auditory, hearing their calls and the whistling of their wings. Would love to see it in person but I've only ever seen two actual woodcocks and one was last night. They were out in force tonight as well from what I heard but it was too chilly for the frogs. I'm envious that you were able to see the actual display.

And yes, isn't that water droplet fantastic? It was raining out an was totally an accidental shot that I didn't notice until I uploaded the picture. Oddly enough the water looks crystal clear too, even though I was stomping around in it. A great shot I agree, I need to save it to a disk so I don't lose it like I have so many others.

Stargate, was it a glossy ibis? I've never seen one myself but there was one hanging out at the wildlife refuge last year. Didn't get to see it unfortunately.

[Doug Watson]

I am starting to think spring may really be here. Saw my first Robin almost a full month after the date I normally see them. I saw 5 in the neighbourhood today. I love how they cock their heads to the side to listen for grubs and worms just under the grass. I have also started putting the sunflower seeds out for the three chipmunks that live on our property. During the winter on warm days they would come out and get the seeds the birds knocked down from our feeder but in spring, summer & fall they get there own servings at least until those bloody messy squirrels come along.
Here are some robin and chipmunk shots from today.

[stargatedalek]

Saw a woodcock the other day, really exciting since it my first in the wild! Sadly I didn't have a camera on me since I was walking my little cousin.

[Gwangi]

Great shots there Doug, especially of the robin and look! No snow!

I'm determined to get a picture of a woodcock, they're all over the place right now. It will probably be a crappy photo but I just want to get one.

[Doug Watson]

Saw a woodcock the other day, really exciting since it my first in the wild! Sadly I didn't have a camera on me since I was walking my little cousin.

You and Gwangi are lucky I have been trying to remember and I don't think I have ever seen a Woodcock in the light of day, All the ones I have seen were at dusk or dark.

[Doug Watson]

Great shots there Doug, especially of the robin and look! No snow!

Thanks, we still have snow in the areas that don't get as much sun but it is supposed to get warmer around Monday so hopefully the mercury keeps climbing.

[Gwangi]

Great shots there Doug, especially of the robin and look! No snow!

Thanks, we still have snow in the areas that don't get as much sun but it is supposed to get warmer around Monday so hopefully the mercury keeps climbing.

We still have some snow laying around too. In fact, it snowed on Saturday/Sunday here. In other parts of NY they quite a bit I believe. I think the warm weather is here to stay now though. Hopefully.

[Newt]

Great shots, guys!

It's hard to imagine you guys still having snow. It's 85 and muggy here. I'm wearing shorts and sweating anyhow.

The network I'm on right now won't let me access Photobucket, so nothing from me for now. I'll try to get some shots this weekend - the lizards and snakes are out, and many inverts too.