Tags
canada goose, colonial lake, crawfish, eastern phoebe, great blue heron, photography, postaday, squirrel
Colonial Lake close to home is quite small, but it has a good variety of wildlife. An old Canada Goose, named Hank by the locals, does not seem to fly any more and enjoys eating the bread crumbs and cookies that people throw to him.
Squirrels are abundant, and at this time of the year they are stocking up on acorns and other wild nuts to prepare for winter.
An Eastern Phoebe had something in its bill, but I couldn’t tell what it was. They usually eat small insects, and sometimes small fruit or seeds.
A Ring-billed Seagull landed with a splash and caught something in its beak.
The champ was a Great Blue Heron who caught three fishes in less than 10 minutes as I photographed him.
fotosbykarin said:
Very beautiful pictures.
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Julie@frogpondfarm said:
Oh my what a beautiful collection of images! I thought the squirrel was amazing until I saw the ring-billed gull and the heron. You take such super images Hien 🙂👏
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you very much, Julie!
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bluebrightly said:
Very nice, and that squirrel is a survivor, by the looks of his ear. 🙂
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neihtn2012 said:
Indeed. I wonder what battle he went through to get that survivor badge.
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Val said:
Your blue heron photos are fabulous! I’m not a great fan of herons since a local one ate our Koi, but these are magnificent!
I hadn’t realised any squirrels hibernated, the ones here don’t. They do collect food but I think it’s just to tide them over the winter and to find the food again in the spring.
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neihtn2012 said:
Oh my, GBH ate your Koi fish!
I stand corrected on squirrels not hibernating. You are right, they don’t. They just like to stay warm inside their dens. That’s why in the deep of winter I seldom see them.
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Val said:
Probably wasn’t a blue heron, not sure if we have them here – certain some type of heron.
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neihtn2012 said:
You may want to look into this link that I normally use to identify a bird:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Blue_Heron/id
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Val said:
Thanks, I’ll have a look tomorrow.
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Mohammad Mahloujian, Stockholm Sweden said:
Masterly taken photos (as usual)
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you very much Mohammad!
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Aletta - nowathome said:
I don’t often see a squirrel here where I live! They look so cute!
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neihtn2012 said:
That one especially, with its ear bearing the scars of some fight.
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Emma Cownie said:
My father is known as Hank. His real name is Henry but was given that nickname when he was a child by American soldiers stationed in Wales during WW2.
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neihtn2012 said:
What a coincidence! 🙂 Hank deserves respect and TLC.
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Amy said:
Beautiful GBH! 3 fish in 10 minutes, good job! 🙂
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neihtn2012 said:
I wish I could be that good! Thanks Amy!
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sidilbradipo1 said:
Stunning 😍
Ciao
Sid
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neihtn2012 said:
Glad you like the photos, Sid!
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GP Cox said:
Do you think the Blue heron cheated? 🙂
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neihtn2012 said:
I was there and almost every time his head was out of the water there was a fish in its bill. There were humans fishing nearby with no such luck, or skill.
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GP Cox said:
hahaha
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de Wets Wild said:
The image of the waterborne gull would be a contender in any prestigious wildlife photographic competition, Hien!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you very much Dries!
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AmyRose🌹 said:
Your pictures are outstanding, Hien! The one of the gull I gasped for what I was seeing. Photographing wildlife I KNOW what it takes to get pictures like these! And as for that squirrel …. his poor ear looks like he tangled with someone. You need to be very proud of yourself for what you have achieved with these images!!
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neihtn2012 said:
Sometimes you just have to be at the right time and right place. Thank you Amy for commenting!
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Eliza Waters said:
The squirrel’s ear looks like he got in a squabble at some point. Great images, Hien. The gull is superb… Contest-worthy. Have you ever entered any of your images?
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neihtn2012 said:
Thanks Eliza! I have not entered a contest yet. Some require membership in Facebook, which I don’t plan on having. Others require an entrance fee. I’ll just take pictures for fun. 🙂
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Eliza Waters said:
State Audubon Societies usually have annual contests for free, some up to a dozen entries. There are lists online like: http://photocontestguru.com/all-contests/
I think your photos are just great!
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Tiny said:
Lovely pictures, Hien! I particularly liked the Ring-billed Gull’s splash landing 🙂
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neihtn2012 said:
Thanks Helen! Like they say in sports, that Ring-billed Gull nailed it!
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katelon said:
I love your photos!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Katelon!
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loisajay said:
The photos of the blue heron are wonderful–the color….!! The seagull photo is my favorite. Hien–it is perfect!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Lois!
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Sue (Mac's Girl) said:
Excellent shots! I especially like the little Eastern Phoebe and the squirrel with the ragged ear.
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Sue! That ear is like one a pirate would sport.
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T Ibara Photo said:
Beautiful photos, and the photo of the ring-billed seagull is especially stunning! Hank the Goose is very charming too 🙂
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neihtn2012 said:
Glad you like the photos, Takami!
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quietsolopursuits said:
Loved the reflection of the gull off the water as it landed, but all these images are excellent! One thing about the low sun angle in the fall, if you have sunlight, you have good lighting for more of the day, as your images show.
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neihtn2012 said:
I had never thought about that low sun angle, now that you mention it. You are right, of course! Thank you Jerry!
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