B. Everett Jordan Lake

Tag

By Belly Button

Jordan Lake. It seems this immature great blue heron is trying to see if he has a belly button. Birds do have belly buttons, however, by time they’re hatched, the navel scar is so tiny you would have trouble finding it. Alas, I’m sure this youngster won’t be able to see his own navel.

immature great blue heron

By White Dots …

Jordan Lake. A field ID mark on a fledgling osprey is all of the white points at the end of its feathers. They are quite distinct. I have also noticed some of this on fledgling bald eagles, and fledgling hawks. Not near as definitive but it is there. I keep asking the experts do they know why. So look at the neck and head ruff on the eagle and osprey and on the wings and see what you think.

bald eagle fledgling
osprey fledgling

By Scaup Identification!

OK! Dr. O’Shea at Ask a Naturalist at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences sent me this reply to my query if the flock of birds I had posted were Greater or Lesser Scaups: “Those are Lesser Scaup. Greaters do occur inland on the larger lakes, but it would be unusual to see so many away from the coast. Head shape can be a useful field mark, but not on flying birds. Fortunately these photos show the wing stripe very well. On a Greater Scaup, this stripe extends farther out into the primaries.”
Today’s photo is the same flock (I submitted 2 photos to Ask a Naturalist), and, it is easier to see the field mark in this photo that Dr. O’Shea says makes the identification of Lesser Scaups.
BTW: if you need help with an id of a bird, or animal or amphibian, plant, etc. here is the link to NC Museum of Natural Sciences Ask a Naturalist https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/f7d290b6c48c451ba6f979db79fd1b9e8

lesser scaups

By Scaup!

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!

scaups

By Silent Orb

Jordan Lake. moon setting / naught but rounded cloud / bald eagle / passes silent orb / shutter blinks / oh if only / I too could fly

bald eagle moon transit