Waterfowl tour2

The problem of identification is compounded by what we expect to see, which is predicated on what we think we know.
Is it summer? Then we know ducks and geese are not here. Consequently, we do not expect to see ducks or geese. Ah, but they do drop in individually, on occasion and the more experienced bird enthusiast who is in the right place will see them.
The rest of us must flounder through a process of elimination predicated by parameters of what we think we know and what we expect because of what we think we know.
For instance, I was on a small lake when a large bird hove into view, flying at an angle oblique to my view, and flying AWAY from me. My first excited thought was: "This is an eagle!" Then I realized it was summer time and asked myself, "Is this a buzzard then?"
At this point I struggle through the identification process of trying to fit what I'm observing into the parameters I would expect if this were a buzzard. All the time I am pondering and searching for more clues my mystery bird is zinging across my field of vision and has every intention of disappearing from view.
This proves the truth of that ages old adage that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. With the bird in hand we can revolve it this way and that to discover those distinguishing features obscured from our view so long as the bird was in the bush.
With the bird in hand we can squeeze it until it squawks, then pursue the theory that if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck then, by Jove, it just MIGHT be a duck, even if this strange event is happening in the good old summertime.
Unfortunately, some of the birds we spot aren't even safely confined to a bush. Like my "eagle" they are flashing over the waters and into the woods. Are those feathers black? Or are they dark brown? Is that tail too long and moving too often to be a buzzard's? If it is a buzzard why isn't s/he tilting into the thermals? And why in the ding dang dunghill are the binoculars ENCASED inside a leather case INSIDE the trunk? Just because we came out to this secluded spot to exercise the dogs is NO excuse to have the binoculars stashed away in an inaccessible compartment so far from our reach!
The dagger billed heron spears its prey with a snap. The Great Blue (I call them gray) Herons are 46 inches long and is likely to be gone when the waters freeze over. Your egret has a bill more like a stiletto and is almost always seen in large groups. In this area where there are cows grazing the cattle egrets like to graze right along with them and scoop up the insects that get stirred up. It seems strange with there being so many of them here now that cattle egrets didn't show up in the United States until the 1950s. Their good habits have protected them because they don’t eat many fish, don’t foul the land by staying in one place too long, and they eat insects. The great white egret is seen in here occasionally too. You aren’t likely to see the black-crowned night heron as this short-necked fish eater prefers to hunt slowly at night, almost as if hunting by feel.
An occasional wood stork is seen through here. They have a down curved bill. They prefer shallow water like herons. Cranes hold their necks fully extended during flight. They can be seen in dry fields. The brightly colored King Rails might be seen at any time of the year in the marshy ground through here . Because of the long stripes on their backs and the chestnut chest they can be extremely hard to see when at rest. The common moorhen likes marshes too and can be seen at any time of the year. The American coot like water deep enough they can dive for food. They splash along the water to get up; enough speed to take off.
Killdeer are in abundance, but I see them mostly in pockets or colonies. They love new fields and water is not a necessity. Like doves they pretend to be injured to lure kids away from their nests. If that doesn’t work they have been known to get right on the child’s head and wreak havoc. In the winter look for snipe. In the summer look for American Woodcock.
Pictures are coming in online now. The story is coming together nicely.
Click Here for Page 3
Mississippi Super Site Missouri Super Site Big Sky Montana Nevada Super Site New Hampshire Super Site New Jersey Super Site New Mexico Super Site New York Super Site Oklahoma Super Site Oregon Super Site South Carolina Super Site Tennessee Super Site Texas Super Site Utah Super Site Wyoming Super Site Native American Resorts