Jordan Lake. OK gang, I saw my 1st ever scaup 4 days ago. It was all by itself. The photo was decent enough for me to id it as a scaup but not whether it was a lesser scaup or a greater scaup. This morning I photographed a whole flock of 30 scaups. All my ID apps and texts say they are greater scaups, but I’m not sure I would wager money on greater versus lesser!
Jordan Lake. moon setting / naught but rounded cloud / bald eagle / passes silent orb / shutter blinks / oh if only / I too could fly
Jordan Lake. Most raptor species seem to enjoy carrying around various objects that have really no practical use. Like this adult bald eagle, carrying around this twig of dead Pine needles. They just seem to get a kick out of hauling things around … playing!
Thank goodness for a quiet softly bright Saturday morning after a stormy Friday ending of the week. #GraycedTheCat
Jordan Lake. The horned grebe is a superb swimmer: its legs are almost under its tail and it has specialized feet that are long lobes like hickory tree leaves. It uses its leaf feet to propel itself quite quickly underwater. However, the placement and kind of feet keep the grebe from being able to takeoff efficiently … it can only launch from open water.
Jordan Lake. The American coot is an interesting waterbird. He is an omnivore and is as happy dabbing at food on the surface or going underneath the water to get stuff or walking along finding tidbits. His lobed feet serve well for either paddling or walking.
doc ellen's journey 