Thieves in the pond

Thieves in the pond

I have seen widgeons stealing food from other diving ducks, mostly coots, but never got to photograph this behavior. There is clearly some tasty green growth on the bottom of this lake which requires a bit of a dive to reach. What to do if you are only a dabbler, steal from the divers like these redheaded ducks. It appears even the mild mannered Gadwalls were getting in on the action.

Red Tailed Hawk

Red_tail_1

I think the fence post has to be one of the most valuable tools for a bird photographer. Without that perch it sure would be a heck of a lot tougher to get close enough for a decent photograph in the grasslands and plains were trees are sparse. This Red Tailed Hawk was happily perching on a post up near Walden, CO last summer.

Canvasback

Canvasback_male_1

The other day we spotted a few Canvasbacks in the local pond. This guy just awoke from a nap on the edge of the ice. We don’t see many Canvasbacks around our area in the winter so watching a few napping and others diving into the pond for a meal was quite a treat.