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Pintail on the Horse
I've tried to photograph pintails since moving to the Northwest with mixed success, but the pintails on Horse Lake were kind to me this winter. So much so that I'll be replacing my entire current gallery of pintails with new pictures, starting with this drake. Pintails are dabbling ducks and he has picked up a bit of plant life during one of his dabbles in this shallow seasonal lake.
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Dawn
One of the beautiful things about watching a duck swim is that all of the action takes place below the waterline, so above everything seems gentle and serene. The motions of this swimming male were as quiet as the surface of the pond, the light soft and diffuse as the marsh awaits the first rays of the sun.
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The Shy Girl
When I went white-water canoeing for the first time years ago, I was surprised to find that I enjoyed the quiet stretches at least as much as the rapids. With wildlife I also like the quiet moments, such as the morning I spent watching this female scaup. She's not as pretty as the male, and the light on that winter morning wasn't anything special, but I spent a long time watching her. She was shy, hanging out near a flock of pintails, but eventually she swam up and began to dive. As other cars pulled up, she'd drift away again, but she always returned to me when they departed.
A great morning. Not a flashy picture, but a personal one. |
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The Shy Girl Waves Goodbye
I love the look of diving ducks as they plunge beneath the surface, the tail the last to go. The tail feathers remind me of fingers, a hand waving goodbye, leaving only ripples that slowly dissipate until the duck surfaces once more.
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The Magnificent Teal
I don't get to see blue-winged teal very often so it was both a privilege and a joy to watch a mated pair this spring at Ridgefield. What a magnificent creature!
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Hey Ladies!
I have mixed feelings every year when spring comes to Ridgefield. I’m saddened that the large numbers of wintering waterfowl are beginning to migrate out, but anxiously awaiting the spring migrants that will pass through, not to mention the summer residents. The turtles, snakes, and frogs show their faces once more. Plus you get to see mating displays and eventually the young ones of the animals that nest on the refuge.
A particular spring delight are the cinnamon teal that ring the ponds and lakes of the auto tour, the males bobbing their heads up and down and chattering as they impress the females. They are frequently near the road now so they are much more visible, all the more so given the absence of the large flocks of ducks. The mating displays aren’t all about impressing the ladies, but also to ward away rival suitors. An approaching male will join in the head bob dance and they will chatter at one another until the victor chases off his rival. This male was displaying for a nearby female, the head is at its low point in the bob and he’s chattering softly to her. With his head fully raised, I couldn’t capture the top of his head and still keep his reflection in the frame. It’s times like this that I wish my 500mm lens could zoom back just a bit. |
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Pretty Plain
When you see a male cinnamon teal in breeding plumage you have no doubt from whence his name comes as much of his body is covered with reddish feathers. Even his eyes are red! Yet as with most ducks, the female cinnamon teal lacks the distinctive coloring of the male. She can be pretty even in her plainness though, and watching her courting dance with the male, their heads bobbing up and down, is always a springtime delight at Ridgefield.
I've been making an effort over the past year to try and show off the subtle beauty of female ducks, and I stopped in my tracks when I saw this female teal through a tunnel of tall grass, sitting just a few feet from her mate. I love pictures like this and was happy enough with the first pictures I took, but then the male waddled off just out of sight and the female began calling out to him as shown in the picture above. She waddled off after him and in the blink of an eye they were both out of sight. |
When looking for wildlife, it can be a difficult call whether to stay in the same spot for a while or to move around and see what you can find. It often comes down to my mood and my instinct, particularly at a place like Ridgefield that I’ve visited many times. On this morning, I was reflective and content, so when I saw a bald eagle perched in the distance, I stopped and watched for about an hour just to see what might happen. I’m thankful that I did as this teal and his mate eventually came into view and then swam up near me to feed. The following morning, however, I was quite restless and spent most of the time on the move.
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Hey Lady!
An American wigeon drake gives his lady the business. It wasn't obvious to my human eyes exactly what her transgression was, but after a few seconds of shouting they returned to feeding quietly in the shallow waters of Horse Lake.
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February 6th, 2011
I arrived early with the fog, which soon lifted to reveal a day both cloudy and surprisingly warm. I spent the first couple of hours at Horse Lake, a small pond at the start of the auto tour, delighted with the opportunity to finally photograph the beautiful American wigeon. Wigeon are common at Ridgefield during the winter but I had always struggled to photograph them.
I made this note in my journal later in the day: "Took me almost five hours to make my first loop of the auto tour. Sadly I don't think that's even close to being a record for me." It was a good day. |
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Tipping Point
This American wigeon drake shows off his dabbling technique, tipping forward with his head underwater, eating plant life from the floor of the lake, while kicking with his webbed feet to hold his position.
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