Jordan Lake. The sheer astonishment that I feel when observing a bird in flight is of the same intensity whether I have just photographed the majesty of a bald eagle or the delicate dance of a prothonotary warbler. Flight: an act that almost defies gravity.
Jordan Lake. I am used to seeing the great blue heron – standing tall and still as a statue – as it waits to catch a fish, that I find myself quite fascinated when I can photograph one in-flight through the trees. It always makes an interesting composition. I hope you agree!
Jordan Lake. Doc Ellen‘s Natural Minute brought to you through the generosity of Captain Doug and his expert helmsmanship. We came upon an Osprey family. Mom Osprey to the left and her three chicks to the right. Note that they are starting to exercise their wings … but are still unsteady with their bodies. Flight is their goal!
Jordan Lake. This pair of red-headed woodpeckers have started incubation – can you see the parent inside the nest cavity in the 1st photo? Both parents incubate the eggs. The male usually takes night duty. The startled questioning look on the one that was down deep inside and popped out as the other parent disappeared is quite funny.
Jordan Lake. When an osprey goes totally underwater to catch a fish, they also pick up a load of water. In order to quickly lose the weight of the water they do a dog shake. They start the shake at their beak and it twists all the way through their body and flips out at the end of the tail. The osprey is pretty much upside down twisted all the way around in the second photo! Always fun to see.
Jordan Lake. The red-headed woodpecker is excellent at catching flying insects on the wing. It is a mite bulkier than most of our flycatchers. As you can see here these woodpeckers certainly accomplish the task with relish! Also it just so happened that this morning at the lake I didn’t see a single bald eagle of any age – yep, no bald eagles for my new camera to track.
doc ellen's journey 