Overheard a pair of Northern Shovelers foraging for food:
Female Northern Shoveler in front of picture: “Uh-oh dear, we forgot to wear our Covid masks!”
Northern Shovelers
23 Monday Nov 2020
Posted in Photography
Tag Archives: Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge
EBF National Wildlife Refuge
22 Sunday Nov 2020
Posted in Photography
All this time I have shown you the birds and animals at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. Yesterday, I shot the following photos so you can see what the refuge actually looks like at least in the fall when the green has given way to brown and sepia. The same juvenile Bald Eagle from last week was also there, ruling over the fall landscape.
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. Dabbling ducks in the distance.
Juvenile Bald Eagle.
Monochrome Monday
16 Monday Nov 2020
Posted in Photography
Two monochrome views of a Lesser Yellow Legs at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge on November 7, 2020.
Lesser Yellow Legs.
Lesser Yellow Legs.
The Eyes Have It!
14 Saturday Nov 2020
Posted in Photography
Tags
american avocet, common grackle, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, european starling, great blue heron, mute swan, photography, postaday
Some different interpretations of “The Eyes Have It”:
American Avocet.
Common Grackle.
Great Blue Heron.
European Starling.
Mute Swan.
Silent Sunday
08 Sunday Nov 2020
Posted in Photography
Lesser Yellow Legs.
Lesser Yellow Legs.
Lesser Yellow Legs.
Lesser Yellow Legs.
Painted Turtle
07 Saturday Nov 2020
Posted in Photography
At the end of my drive through the refuge today, I saw a Painted Turtle ahead, in the middle of the road! I got out and took these two photos.
Painted Turtle.
Painted Turtle.
After that I moved the turtle gently to the side of the road. Still, it withdrew inside its shell as soon as I touched it.
Painted Turtles are small creatures and have been around for 15 million years. Today was very warm, 76 °F or 24 °C, which may explain why this turtle came out and tried to cross the road. When it gets colder, they will go into deep hibernation.
Wordless Wednesday
04 Wednesday Nov 2020
Posted in Photography
Northern Shovelers.
Northern Shovelers.
Northern Shoveler.
Juvenile Bald Eagle
02 Monday Nov 2020
Posted in Photography
Yesterday was cloudy and cool, ending up with heavy rain. Only a few people showed up at the refuge while the birds were even more scarce. I got some lucky shots of a juvenile Bald Eagle before it flew away from its perch. It is probably between two and three years old.
Juvenile Bald Eagle.
Juvenile Bald Eagle.
Juvenile Bald Eagle.
Two other cars stopped by and it finally had enough of the photography sessions.
Juvenile Bald Eagle. Atlantic City in the background.
Silent Sunday
18 Sunday Oct 2020
Posted in Photography
Forster’s Terns.
Forster’s Terns.
Red-winged Blackbirds
08 Thursday Oct 2020
Posted in Photography
Tags
Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, european starling, photography, postaday, red-winged blackbird
Starting in late summer, when you drive on Wildlife Drive, flocks of birds often fly in and out of both sides of the road in front of you. There could be hundreds of them, and they are mostly Red-winged Blackbirds, European Starlings, and sparrows, sometimes mixed together. The moment you stop your car to look closer, the birds land and disappear in the dried reed and grasses. Last week I stopped long enough to find them and take some photos.
Dried reed. Deceiving, right? The birds were there.
Male Red-winged Blackbird.
Female Red-winged Blackbird.
Female Red-winged Blackbird eating a fruit.
Male Red-winged Blackbird.
Male Red-winged Blackbird.
Finally, a European Starling perched above the reeds, on a road sign.
European Starling.
Nice Catch
06 Tuesday Oct 2020
Posted in Photography
It was high tide again, and this Laughing Gull came out of the marsh water with a very nice catch:
Laughing Gull with fish.
It played with the fish for a long minute then got ready to swallow it.
Laughing Gull just before swallowing fish.
Silent Sunday
04 Sunday Oct 2020
Posted in Photography
Great Egret.
Mute Swans and Cygnet
29 Tuesday Sep 2020
Posted in Photography
Several Mute Swans were swimming and feeding in one of the fresh water pools at the refuge.
Mute Swan.
Mute Swan.
In a more secluded pool, a cygnet was swimming by itself.
Mute Swan Cygnet.
Great Blue Heron Up Close
26 Saturday Sep 2020
Posted in Photography
A new sluice gate has recently been built on Wildlife Drive at the refuge to channel ocean water into and out of Vogt Pool North. As I drove by a few days ago, a Great Blue Heron was standing guard at the gate and would not budge even as I parked no more than 20 ft (6 m) away from it. There was plenty of morning sunlight and the conditions were perfect for photography.
Great Blue Heron at sluice gate.
Great Blue Heron ignoring photographer.
Seven minutes later, it was still on the same rock, staring into emptiness.
Great Blue Heron.
Double-crested Cormorants
20 Sunday Sep 2020
Posted in Photography
Tags
double-crested cormorant, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, laughing gull, photography, postaday
Yesterday, when I arrived at the Brigantine unit of the Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge the tide was high and ocean water was pouring into the salt marshes, bringing with it fish and other sea creatures to feed the Egrets, Double-crested Cormorants, Seagulls, and various smaller birds. Some juvenile Cormorants were having a feast and kept diving into the churning water and coming up with fish in their hooked bills.
Cormorant holding fish in its bill.
Another Cormorant was so happy to have caught a fish that it danced around in the water.
Juvenile Cormorant with fish.
Suddenly, it dropped the fish and dove in the water to retrieve it. However, many Laughing Gulls were hovering in the air, and one quickly swooped down.
Laughing Seagull diving after fish.
The Laughing Gull snatched the fish and left the young Cormorant clamoring for its lost meal.
Laughing Seagull flying away with fish despite Cormorant’s protests.
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge 114: Negative Space
17 Thursday Sep 2020
Posted in Photography
Tags
crappie, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, Lawrenceville, lens artists photo challenge, Lens-Artists, lesser yellow legs, negative space, photography, postaday
For the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge 114: Negative Space, here are two images I shot recently. The first one is from 12 days ago.
Lesser Yellow Legs at Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.
The second one is from yesterday at Colonial Lake In Lawrenceville, NJ when a fisherman caught a fish with the name of Crappie! He threw it back as soon as I finished taking the photo.
Crappie caught at Colonial Lake.
Diving for Food
13 Sunday Sep 2020
Posted in Photography
As temperatures dropped, a good number of birds have left the refuge. Some non-breeding Forster’s Terns remain, displaying their skills at diving and plucking food out of the water. I finally managed to photograph one of them in a successful dive.
Non-breeding Forster’s Tern looking for fish.
Dive! Dive!
Forster’s Tern in the water.
Coming out, with a fish.
Definitely with a fish.
Triumphantly with a fish!
Early Morning Great Egret
13 Sunday Sep 2020
Posted in Photography
Yesterday, conditions were almost ideal for photography. The refuge was dry, the sun was shining bright, and an ocean breeze was cool if at times gusty. I had just stepped out when a Great Egret flew toward me. I barely had enough time to lean against the car and bring my camera up to shoot. This was likely the closest I ever came to a Great Egret in flight.
Great Egret.
Great Egret banking away.
Great Egret.
Egret Feeding
10 Thursday Sep 2020
Posted in Photography
The Great Egret and Snowy Egret shown below were feeding in the marsh, stabbing the water, and jumping and turning around on a dime. They were very successful and got a fish at every attempt.
Great Egret feeding.
Great Egret feeding.
Great Egret feeding.
Snowy Egret feeding.
Snowy Egret feeding.
Snowy Egret feeding.
Snowy Egret feeding.
In this last photo, it was amazing to see the Snowy Egret twisting itself while looking for fish.
Snowy Egret hunting for prey.
Forster’s Tern
22 Saturday Aug 2020
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
There were many Forster’s Terns at the refuge, with about half of them being still immature or juvenile. They were all superb acrobatic fliers and their diving into the marshes to catch fish was a challenge I cannot resist photographing year after year.
Immature Forster’s Tern yelling at its friends.
“Nice flight!”
Forster’s Tern in flight.
Dive!
Emerging from dive.
Forster’s Tern coming out of dive, no fish.
I often tried to capture the moment they caught a fish, but the best I could do this time is a not-so-sharp photo.
Forster’s Tern with a fish.
Storms?
02 Sunday Aug 2020
Posted in Photography
Tags
avocet, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, hibiscus, monarch butterfly, photography, postaday, tiger swallowtail
Hurricane Isaias is only glancing at Florida and is headed to the northeast. Storms with strong winds (70 mph or 112 kph) are predicted for our area. Yesterday, I went to the Edwin B. Forsythe refuge and saw groups of shorebirds huddled together on the water sleeping. Maybe they flew away from the storms and were resting there?
Shore birds resting.
There were many American Avocets that are usually rare in New Jersey.
American Avocets feeding in a marsh pool. In the background are reflections of marsh mallows that cover practically all the marsh banks.
Sand flies were also abundant and forced me to go home early. There hibiscuses and milkweed are in full bloom, and butterflies were flittering about.
Pink and white hibiscus.
Monarch butterfly.
Tiger Swallowtail.
Summer Scenes
06 Monday Jul 2020
Posted in Photography
Tags
asclepias tuberosa, butterfly weed, butternut squash, Eastern Bluebird, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, milkweed, pawpaw, photography, postaday, rubu-throated hummingbird, zucchini
The following images, in random order, are what I am seeing this summer with limited travel, too much heat, and more time at home.
Weed flowers at Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. If you know the name of this weed, please tell me.
The Eastern Bluebird couple in our backyard is still busy bringing food back for their second brood.
Eastern Bluebird mother and father discussing food situation.
Male Eastern Bluebird perched on bird feeder near birdhouse.
Asclepias Tuberosa or butterfly weed growing in our garden. No Monarch butterfly has appeared yet.
Asclepias Tuberosa growing in the back of our house.
Feamle Ruby-throated Hummingbrid diving toward feeder.
Zucchini flowers in our vegetable garden.
Butternut Squash flower.
Pawpaw (Asimina Triloba) is plentiful this year. We have two trees which give more fruit than we know what to do with. Pawpaw does not ship well, and is not available in grocery stores. It has been described as tasting like a combination of banana and mango. Chilled pawpaw was a favorite dessert of George Washington.
Pawpaw a native American fruit.
Pawpaw fruit.
Back to Refuge and Other Birds
27 Saturday Jun 2020
Posted in Photography
Tags
Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, goldfinch, house finch, northern cardinal, osprey, photography, postaday, red-winged blackbird, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, snowy egret
This week I went to the Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge again, after a 5-month hiatus. Greenhead flies were already out and I had to keep my car windows closed, except for brief moments to take a photo. Shots taken through the windows turned out badly. Here are some better ones taken with the window quickly open.
Snowy Egret.
Male Osprey keeping an eye on his nest.
Female Osprey feeding the young ones.
Since I was inside the car and not wearing a mask, a female Red-winged Blackbird could not resist acting like a Karen.
Female Red-winged Blackbird: “Wear your MASK!”
Following are photos taken recently at home of other birds.
Male Northern Cardinal.
Male House Finch.
Goldfinch.
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have been coming in greater numbers. Capturing their flight is usually a challenge, but here are some of the better shots.
Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird.
Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird.
Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird.
Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird.
More Photos Less Stress
25 Wednesday Mar 2020
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
Tags
barnegat light, clivia, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, harlequin duck, magnolia, mute swan, Northern Shoveler, photography, postaday, snow goose
I have not been posting here since last July, but have continued to photograph, although not as often as I used to. Hopefully, the following photos may help reduce stress for all of us during this coronavirus pandemic.
Harlequin Ducks at Barnegat Light , January 2020.
Mute Swan at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, January 2020.
Snow Geese at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, February 2020.
Northern Shovelers at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, March 2020.
Star Magnolia in our backyard, March 2020.
Clivia at home, March 2020.
Green-winged Teal
02 Thursday May 2019
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
I took the following photos of Green-winged Teals at the refuge a month ago. They are the smallest among dabbling ducks, much smaller than Mallards. They feed by looking for vegetation in shallow water. The ones seen below live in North America. They differ from their Eurasian counterparts by having a white stripe on their breast. The Eurasian Green-winged Teal have that white stripe along their shoulders.
Green-winged Teal, male.
Green-winged Teals, male and female in back.
Green-winged Teals, female and male in back.
Green-winged Teal, male.
Goslings 2019
26 Friday Apr 2019
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
Goslings are now commonly seen at the refuge and are often the subjects of the cutest Spring scenes.
Goslings and mother.
Goslings and parents.
“You are eating WHAT?”
My internet connection has been very iffy these past two weeks, and it was only last night that it came back to normal and allowed me to read emails and access various sites, including WordPress. My apologies for not having been able to respond to your comments or visited your posts. I will try to catch up for sure.
Harbingers of Spring
06 Saturday Apr 2019
Posted in colonial lake, EBF Refuge, Photography
Tags
american robin, canada geese, colonial lake, diamondback terrapin, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, great egret, photography, postaday, snowy egret
American Robins don’t migrate during the winter, merely keeping out of sight most of the time. They reappear with the coming of spring, when the ground is no longer too hard for them to try to pull out worms.
American Robin, 2019 spring.
Flocks of Canada Geese flying overhead is another sign that the seasons are changing. However, I can’t figure out what they are doing since they seem to be flying in all directions.
Canada Geese flying East.
Just a minute after the above shot, those Canada Geese reversed direction and flew over me again.
Canada Geese flying West.
I thought that was the last of that flock and started walking toward the woods. Then they flew North and passed overhead once more.
Canada Geese flying North.
Another sure sign of spring is the return of Great Egrets and Snowy Egrets. They appeared two weeks ago, then went away when the weather turned cold. Now they are back.
Great Egret and Snowy Egrets at Edwin B Forsythe NWR.
Great Egret.
Finally the turtles are out sunning themselves. I think they are Diamondback Terrapins, but am not positive. They all jumped into the water as I tried to come closer to them to get a better look.
Seven turtles at Colonial Lake.
Male Bufflehead Courtship
14 Thursday Mar 2019
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
Two days ago I happened upon about a dozen Buffleheads involved in their annual courtship rituals at the refuge. Male Buffeheads court their future mates by a vigorous exercise of head bobbing, diving, running on water, and flying over the head of the female ducks.
Male Bufflehead.
Male Bufflehead running toward female.
Male Bufflehead flying over female.
Male Bufflehead flying over female.
Male Bufflehead trying to impress female.
Sometimes, a female Bufflehead chased a male away.
Female Bufflehead chasing after male: “Get out of my sight, you … duck!”
Male Buffleheads competing for attention from female.
Male Bufflehead: “I am the greatest!”
Female with male Buffleheads paddling fast in background.
The courtship also took place underwater, perhaps with the males trying to prove they could be good foragers. I saw them dive and spend a minute or two submerged, but unfortunately was not equipped to take photos under water.
Wordless Wednesday
06 Wednesday Mar 2019
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
Mallards.
Mute Swan.
Flu Season and Birds
16 Saturday Feb 2019
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
Tags
carolina chickadee, dark-eyed junco, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, great blue heron, photography, postaday
The flu has forced me to stay home these past two weeks and I have not gone out to take any picture, or visited your posts as often as before. The following photos are the results of my editing of recent shots of backyard birds that show some different views of the two most common visitors to our feeder in the winter.
Dark-eyed Junco.
Carolina Chickadee.
About two weeks ago, I also caught a Great Blue Heron jumping around a pond, probably on a fishing expedition.
Great Blue Heron.
Great Blue Heron.
Great Blue Heron.
Great Blue Heron.
Great Blue Heron.
Hooded Mergansers – Nictitating Membrane
09 Saturday Feb 2019
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
There were two male Hooded Merganser at the refuge cruising around on a patch of water amid the ice, looking for food. They swam, dove, and came up for air. These small ducks are specific to North America, with the males very noticeable because of their black and white hood.
Male Hooded Mergansers at Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.
Male Hooded Merganser.
Two Hooded Mergansers, one diving.
Male Hooded Merganser plunging into icy water.
In the water, Hooded Mergansers hunt for food by sight. They have an extra eyelid, a nictitating (blinking) membrane, that they can deploy to protect their eyes, somewhat like humans who use goggles when swimming underwater. You can see it in the following shot.
Hooded Merganser with extra eyelid showing.
They can also adjust the refractive property of their eyes to improve their vision under water.
Very wet Hooded Merganser emerging from dive.
Wordless Wednesday
06 Wednesday Feb 2019
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
Mute Swans.
Mute Swans.
Mute Swan.
Winter Scenes
04 Monday Feb 2019
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
Tags
Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, fort hancock, photography, postaday, sanderling, sandy hook, sandy hook lighthouse
As temperatures slowly climbed above freezing, I ventured out yesterday to view scenes of the wintry landscape left by that Polar Vortex storm everyone was talking about last week. I was hoping that a thaw would be in full force, but everything still looked cold and encrusted in ice. The first place I went to was Sandy Hook, a barrier island in New Jersey facing New York City across Raritan Bay.
View of Sandy Hook Bay.
View of Sandy Hook shoreline, with an empty Osprey nest on the right.
View of Sandy Hook shoreline.
There were hardly any bird, just a few lonely gulls and three Sanderlings.
Sanderlings.
I drove around the old Fort Hancock, an abandoned Army fort, at the tip of Sandy Hook island.
Sandy Hook Lighthouse. It is the oldest working lighthouse in the United States.
There were some antique cannons, the biggest one shown below, and two Cold War era missiles.
Old cannon a Fort Hancock.
Cold War era missiles.
Leaving Sandy Hook I went to my familiar haunt, the Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. All the ponds there were frozen as well, and snow had fallen the previous day.
Winter scene at Edwin B Forsythe NWR.
Another view of winter scene at Edwin B Forsythe NWR.
Waves
19 Saturday Jan 2019
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
A few days ago, at Holgate I was captivated by the waves crashing on the beach and on the man-made barrier separating it from the rest of Long Beach Island.
The following photos are of the same wave as it folded and exploded under the wind.
Wave at Holgate.
Wave at Holgate.
Wave at Holgate.
Wave at Holgate.
Here are more waves assaulting the man-made barrier.
Wave crashing against barrier.
Wave crashing against barrier.
By the way, a birder reported seeing not one but two Snowy Owls at Holgate, two days after I was there!
Holgate
18 Friday Jan 2019
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
Holgate is the southern end of Long Beach Island, NJ and a part of Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. In previous years I often went there to photograph Snowy Owls, and I tried to do that again three days ago. Unfortunately surveyors were roaming Holgate that day, traipsing into dune parts that Snowy Owls frequented. As a result, even though I hiked the length of Holgate and back, there was not a single bird that day, except for one seagull.
Surveyor at Holgate.
It was cold, starting at 17°F (-8°C) and slowly climbing to above freezing. As the tide was coming in, the wind made beautiful waves.
Waves at Holgate.
Wave at Holgate.
A Herring Gull was standing on the beach. I approached it carefully, 20 steps at a time, taking a camera shot before continuing.
Herring Gull.
When I finally got too close, it flew up holding a piece of clam in its beak.
Herring Gull snatching food from beach.
Herring Gull turning right.
Herring Gull turning left.
Near the entrance to Holgate, there were a dozen surfers.
Two surfers at Holgate, one with a paddle.
Surfer almost hidden by wave.
Barrier and surfer at Holgate.
When I came home and looked at the photos on my computer, I saw some Long-tailed Ducks in several of them.
Two Long-tailed Ducks in the surf.
Snow Geese Blue Morph
11 Friday Jan 2019
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
Tags
blue morph, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, photography, postaday, snow goose, white morph
Snow Geese are mostly white (white morph), but some only have a white face, with the rest of their bodies dark brown and dark blue. They are not too rare, as I usually can see at least one or more in any flock of Snow Geese.
Blue morph Snow Goose amid white morph geese.
When still immature, the blue morph colors are less pronounced while the face has not turned white yet.
Juvenile blue morph Snow Geese among white morph geese.
Juvenile blue morph Snow Geese.
There were several thousands Snow Geese at the refuge while I was taking the above photos. Suddenly they shouted to one another and rose up in the sky.
Snow Geese rising up to fly.
Perhaps they were wary of some Bald Eagle, for they soon settled back on another part of the refuge.
Tundra Swan Drama
09 Wednesday Jan 2019
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
There were about a dozen Tundra Swans at the refuge, far away from the road and apart from the larger Mute Swans which are all-year residents. As their name indicates, Tundra Swans migrate from the artic tundra to the Midlantic shore to spend their winters under warmer conditions.
As I began shooting a Tundra Swan was landing.
Tundra Swan landing. Two other Tundra Swans were agitated by the newcomer. In the background are American Black Ducks.
Landing scuffle.
Now one swan is chasing the others.
Chaser seems to have the upper hand.
Oh, oh … Resistance?
Fighting?
Victory!
Peace.
Something Different
05 Saturday Jan 2019
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
Tags
Dorland J. Henderson Memorial Bridge, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, Manahawkin, Manahawkin Bay Bridge, photography, postaday
Readers of this blog know that I am mainly a bird photographer, with infrequent landscape and flower images. Recently I went to Bonnet Island, a newly opened section of the Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. The Dorland J. Henderson Memorial Bridge, also called Manahawkin Bay Bridge, linking mainland New Jersey to Long Beach Island goes through Bonnet Island, and it has been undergoing repairs since 2010.
The part of EBF NWR on Bonnet Island, opened since last July, looks underwhelming at this time of the year.
Bench at Bonnet Island.
One of two pavilions at Bonnet Island.
What one sees is mostly weeds and new plantings, all with different variations of the color ochre. There were a few birds or waterfowls, but they were all too far away for my lens, even with the 1.4 extender attached. As soon as I took a picture of the following hawk, it flew away.
Hawk on Bonnet Island, maybe a Red-tailed Hawk.
There were mergansers and ducks swimming in the bay waters, but they appear tiny and blurry in all the images I took. So I turned toward the bridge itself and started photographing it from different angles.
Manahawkin Bay Bridge as seen from Bonnet Island.
West end of Manahawkin Bay Bridge.
East end of Manahawkin Bay Bridge.
Traffic and construction on Manahawkin Bay Bridge.
The town of Manahawkin is a coastal community facing Long Beach Island. Manahawkin comes from a Lenape Native American word meaning “fertile land sloping into the water”.
View of Manahawkin from Bonnet Island.
View of Manahawkin from Bonnet Island.
Taking Photos with an Extender
24 Monday Dec 2018
Posted in colonial lake, EBF Refuge, Photography
Tags
colonial lake, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, extender, great blue heron, mallard, photography, postaday, snow geese
One of the must-have equipment for wildlife photography in general, and bird photography in particular, is to have a telephoto lens powerful enough to capture subjects with sufficient details and sharpness, without having to come too close to them. Since most of us can’t afford super telephoto lenses, also called second-mortgage lenses, some of us resort to using an extender, which is much less expensive, to increase the reach of our lenses. With a 1.4 extender, a 400 mm lens will be equivalent to a 560 mm lens.
I have had such an extender for two years, but almost never used it because the results had been disappointing especially in terms of sharpness. Finally, looking at photos posted by Jerry from Quiet Solo Pursuits here on WordPress, I decided to give it a try with the Canon 5D Mark IV that I have been using since last year.
Following are some of the shots I took yesterday at the refuge and at Colonial Lake under a bright sun with the 100-400 mm lens and a 1.4 extender.
Great Blue Heron shaking a fish.
Great Blue Heron in “flasher” pose facing the sun to warm itself up.
Mallard in flight.
Mallard in flight.
Female Mallard.
Snow Goose.
Snow Geese.
Snow Geese.
Oversized Bills
20 Thursday Dec 2018
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
At this time of the year, I often see Northern Shovelers at the refuge. From afar they look like Mallard ducks, but with longer, oversized bills. They dabble back and forth with those bills to catch crustaceans and seeds from the marsh.
Northern Shovelers, female and male.
Female Northern Shoveler. Note comb-like filters at the edge of her bill.
Female Northern Shoveler preening.
Male Northern Shoveler.
Male Northern Shovelers.
Flocks of Northern Shovelers are known to swim in circle to corral food and make it easier for them to catch. However, I saw this band early in the morning and many were still sleeping.
Female Northern Shoveler sleeping: “Call me back in an hour.”
