Nature Photography (Formally Spring is in the Air)

[Halichoeres]

Making excellent use of your new toy, Newt! I hope to see some good fish in the springtime!

[Newt]

Thanks VS and Halichoeres! Oh yes, there will be fish. I'm already trying to strategize for April and May, which is prime season for fish in breeding colors. Some of the darters color up early, especially the Etheostoma stigmaeum complex and some of the snubnoses, so I might start getting fish pics in March. But first, mole salamanders, chorus frogs, and early ranids!

[tyrantqueen]

GUESS WHO HAD A SNOW DAY











I don't know what this thing is. It's been there for years. Some kind of llama/alpaca thing?



My camera ran out of juice before I could take more photos. There is a group of Canada geese that I particularly like for one interesting reason. One domestic white goose has joined their group and hangs around with them. Usually the white geese all hang out together. Canada geese and white geese seem to hate each other and stay segregated, but this one switched sides to the Canadas. I think it must have a mate with them. I thought it was cute. I wish I could have photographed them but they seem to have flown south for the winter.

[Viking Spawn]

I love pics after a fresh snow has fallen.  We are expecting a light dusting in my area tonight.  Too bad it comes with a dangerous wind chill too! 

[PaleoMatt]

Hey tyrantqueen where in the uk do u live? It aint snowing in the north west

[Doug Watson]

GUESS WHO HAD A SNOW DAY
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Neat to see what I believe is your Greylag Goose in that image. We don't get them over here. One of my first sculpting jobs at the museum was to sculpt the different behavioural postures that Konrad Lorenz had identified for the Greylag
The Mallards of course we do get.

[tyrantqueen]

Hey tyrantqueen where in the uk do u live? It aint snowing in the north west

I'm in the East Midlands. Don't feel too bad though, it's the morning after and it's all melted

Neat to see what I believe is your Greylag Goose in that image. We don't get them over here. One of my first sculpting jobs at the museum was to sculpt the different behavioural postures that Konrad Lorenz had identified for the Greylag
The Mallards of course we do get.

Actually I'm not sure it's a pure greylag. If you look at its muzzle it has white patches. Could it be a greylag with some white ancestry mixed in? Here's a better look.



There's another one above it that is most definitely a hybrid, with a white head.

There used to be a Canada goose x white goose hybrid too which was kinda unique looking. But I guess it died because I don't see it anymore

I'm odd I guess, I find waterfowl interesting. I'm a goose watcher

[Doug Watson]

Actually I'm not sure it's a pure greylag. If you look at its muzzle it has white patches. Could it be a greylag with some white ancestry mixed in? Here's a better look.

Yes looks like a White Fronted with that bit over the beak but looking at that other one I think you are correct and they are domestic. I like waterfowl as well, my wife on the other hand hates Canada Geese because they poop all over the lawns at the War Museum and the Museum of History where she works. 

[Doug Watson]

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I meant to ask is that your dog? A greyhound rescue? Looks like it doesn't know what to make of the snow. We had a Bullmastiff years ago and it didn't matter how old he was every time we got our first snowfall of the year he was a puppy again, racing around, jumping up and down and biting mouthfuls of snow. I would throw snowballs to him and he would jump up and grab them and eat them. Here I go again getting misty over a dog that has passed on, 

[tyrantqueen]

He's a greyhound x whippet x saluki. Basically just a longdog.

We've had him since he was a puppy. My dad intended to use him to course hares and rabbits but he is too soft hearted and won't kill them. Doesn't matter though, he's a great pet. He doesn't really react to snow, but he's never been the sharpest tool in the shed so no surprise there

But yeah, dogs are wonderful

[Newt]

Color me jealous! I haven't had a proper snow yet...

[Doug Watson]

Color me jealous! I haven't had a proper snow yet...

We had a green Christmas but soon after that we got dumped on and except for a short thaw and freezing rain for a couple days it has stayed and been added to. Right now we are in the middle of a deep freeze. Woke up to -18 celsius this morning and it has warmed up to a balmy -14 at noon. I am ready to switch if you are
I have been trying to get shots of some of the birds at my feeder but so far I have only got shots of Chickadees. We also get Cardinals, Blue Jays, Juncos, Rosy & Purple Finches but the cold must be keeping them away. Our neighbourhood is still too new, I think we still need more mature trees. In Almonte where we lived in the country I would fill it up almost every other day and the feeder would be swarmed with all of the above plus Evening Grosbeaks & Crossbills. Here I have only topped it up once all season.

[Viking Spawn]

We also had a green Christmas and I wished it would've stayed that way!  We haven't had much snow so far, but when we did, it managed to cover some ice which I slipped and fell one night while at work!  The fall caused me to break 3 bones in my right leg which required surgery later that same day!  I never broke a bone before and I will have to be honest, this experience stinks!!!!

Since I've been stuck in the house for the most part since, this cabin fever is gnawing at me!  I'm hoping I heal fast so I can get out and enjoy the outdoors again!  (Minus the stinking ice!

In the meantime, here are some winter shots I took of Mantis egg cases when I was still able to walk.  Something to look forward to in the coming months..... 

[Doug Watson]

We also had a green Christmas and I wished it would've stayed that way!  We haven't had much snow so far, but when we did, it managed to cover some ice which I slipped and fell one night while at work!  The fall caused me to break 3 bones in my right leg which required surgery later that same day!  I never broke a bone before and I will have to be honest, this experience stinks!!!!

Since I've been stuck in the house for the most part since, this cabin fever is gnawing at me!  I'm hoping I heal fast so I can get out and enjoy the outdoors again!  (Minus the stinking ice!

In the meantime, here are some winter shots I took of Mantis egg cases when I was still able to walk.  Something to look forward to in the coming months..... 

You have my sympathies my wife broke her leg slipping on ice in parking lot the irony of it was it was after an evening of skating on the longest rink in the world, the Rideau Canal. I have only broken my nose and a toe but I saw what she went through so I wish you a speedy recovery.

[Newt]

That stinks, Viking Spawn...here's to a speedy recovery!

Doug - it was -13 C here this morning. We've got the cold, just no snow.

I'm glad you mentioned the bird feeder, that reminds me I need to buy more seed today. The birds are wearing out the black oil sunflower seed. My feeder attracts large numbers of Carolina chickadees, tufted titmice, and house finches, along with smaller numbers of white-breasted nuthatches, American goldfinches, northern cardinals, blue jays, Carolina wrens, and four kinds of woodpecker (downy, hairy, red-bellied, and yellow-bellied sapsucker). Juncos, towhees, white-throated sparrows, and mourning doves won't take seed from the feeder, but they pick up what the other birds spill on the ground. Blackbirds (red-wings, common grackles, brown-headed cowbirds, and the occasional rusty or Brewer's blackbird) only come to the feeder when it snows.

There are advantages to living in the country!

[Doug Watson]

That stinks, Viking Spawn...here's to a speedy recovery!

Doug - it was -13 C here this morning. We've got the cold, just no snow.

I'm glad you mentioned the bird feeder, that reminds me I need to buy more seed today. The birds are wearing out the black oil sunflower seed. My feeder attracts large numbers of Carolina chickadees, tufted titmice, and house finches, along with smaller numbers of white-breasted nuthatches, American goldfinches, northern cardinals, blue jays, Carolina wrens, and four kinds of woodpecker (downy, hairy, red-bellied, and yellow-bellied sapsucker). Juncos, towhees, white-throated sparrows, and mourning doves won't take seed from the feeder, but they pick up what the other birds spill on the ground. Blackbirds (red-wings, common grackles, brown-headed cowbirds, and the occasional rusty or Brewer's blackbird) only come to the feeder when it snows.

There are advantages to living in the country!

Yes I miss the country living, you are lucky if your morning doves stay out of your feeder. For about three years I had doves nesting on my property and they would take over the feeder in the winter. One would sit on one side and the other would sit on the other and wouldn't let anything else in. They would eat, sleep and poop in there. Really disgusting, I would have to clear the poop out  Normally the Slate Coloured Juncos wait for the Blue Jays, squirrels and others to knock food down to the ground but this year they have decided not to wait and have taken to perching and feeding in the feeder. Kind of like the cartoon about the Vultures "Screw it! Let's kill something!

[Viking Spawn]

Thank you Doug & Newt!  I do appreciate the kind words. 

[Halichoeres]

Sorry to hear about your leg, VS!

Here it was too cold to snow for a while, but it warmed up enough (-9C) that we got a bit this morning.

And the lake is freezing for the first time all year (unusually late). I think the thread title is officially out of date

Sometimes I think about putting out a bird feeder in the window, because Lake Michigan is a major flyway and I'm sure I'd get some interesting stuff, but somehow I doubt that pedestrians would appreciate a steady rain of seed hulls and bird droppings from seven floors up.

[Viking Spawn]

Thank you Halichoeres.

I agree, this thread title is a little behind.  Perhaps a winter thread would be in order?  Some winter scenery can be quite breath taking.  (No pun)

[Gwangi]

Thank you Halichoeres.

I agree, this thread title is a little behind.  Perhaps a winter thread would be in order?  Some winter scenery can be quite breath taking.  (No pun)

I need to come up with a thread title that I don't have to change every 3 months. I only used this title because it was the same of this thread on the old forum started by Radman. Any suggestions?