wildlife photography – Page 39 – A Thousand Acres of Silphiums

Chestnut-sided Warbler

birds, Nesting Birds of Missouri, wildlife, wildlife photography

It looks as though I may get only one opportunity for Tower Grove Park this spring, but it was a good one. I’m glad it was a nice morning for Kathy Duncan’s first visit. We had quite a few cooperative birds at the water feature of the Gaddy Bird Garden where these photos of Chestnut-sided Warblers were taken.

Worm-eating Warbler – April 2021

Nesting Birds of Missouri, wildlife, wildlife photography

This spring has been flying by. With great cool and wet weather, the spring ephemeral wildflower season has been one of the best I’ve experienced and in the past two weeks the bird diversity has been on the rise. Just today, I had a Wood Thrush, a Cooper’s Hawk and a Barn Swallow from my suburban yard alone! This morning I found a Sedge Wren in the grasses at Beckemeier Conservation Area among about half a dozen warblers.

I hope you are getting out to enjoy some of this action and I want to share a few photos of one of my many favorites, this Worm-eating Warbler that is already setting up territory at Bush Wildlife Conservation Area.

Thank you for visiting!
-OZB

Clarksville MO, Lock & Dam #24 – Bald Eagle – 2021 Part 3

wildlife, wildlife photography

A few more eagles and non-eagle shots at Clarksville Dam from January, 2021

Blackbird Flocks at CBCA

birds, Nesting Birds of Missouri, wildlife, wildlife photography

Images of a large flock of blackbirds taken at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area back in January, 2021. Mostly composed of Red-winged Blackbirds, this flock contained thousands to tens of thousands of birds.

Winter Wren – March-2021

birds, wildlife, wildlife photography

Winter Wren photographed at Creve Coeur Lake Park.

Winter Wren, Creve Coeur Lake Park, St. Louis Co, MO.

-OZB

Clarksville MO, Lock & Dam #24 – Bald Eagle – 2021 Part 2

birds, wildlife photography

A few more from Lock & Dam #24 from winter of 2020/2021.

Clarksville MO, Lock & Dam #24 – Bald Eagle – 2021

birds, wildlife, wildlife photography

A juvenile bald eagle coming in for its prey.

We actually had a couple weeks of a deep freeze, old-fashioned winter during the 2020/2021 season. It was enough to get a lot of ice on our rivers and lakes but it didn’t seem to be quite long enough to bring the eagles into Lock and Dam #24 in big numbers. A couple friends and I tried during the last couple days of the deep freeze and although we had fewer than 12 birds, there were opportunities that made it worth our time. Here are a couple photos of a juvenile eagle (a 1.5 to 2.5 year old bird) that I captured as it came to the water to catch a fish that was stunned following its passage through the dam.

Check back soon as I will be posting more photos of eagles and other birds that were making their living in the open waters beneath Lock and Damn #24.

-OZB

Brewer’s Duck

birds, wildlife, wildlife photography

Although I cannot count it as a new species on my lists, I do believe this bird is worthy of a little attention. The “Brewer’s Duck” has been noticed for centuries, even being painted by J. J. Audubon himself. But, he called it the “Bemaculated Duck”, an apparent misspelling of the descriptor, bimaculated, meaning “marked with two spots.” The Brewer’s Duck is an intergeneric hybrid between a Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and a Gadwall (Mareca strepera).

This bird was originally spotted at Bush Conservation Area on February 23rd by Michelle Davis and reported via eBird and MOBIRDS. These photos were taken on February 24th.

The Brewer’s Duck is a true blending of its two-species heritage and they apparently are quite variable in appearance.

In the above photo, the blue speculum patch can be seen, coming from the Mallard. The fine lines of the Gadwall can be seen on the breast and sides. The head is a mixture of both species. Some green can be seen towards the back of the head, although this could only be seen at just the right angle to the sun. The bill is also a mix of the yellow Mallard’s and the all black Gadwall. In my opinion, the feet are more reminiscent of the color of the Gadwall’s feet.

A nice comparison of Mallard, Brewer’s and Gadwall drakes.

So far I have been unable to find out much about the Brewer’s Duck from books or internet sources and I have lots of questions. This bird seemed to mostly associate with Gadwalls. Is this common, or does it depend on which species was the mother? Does the parentage have to be directional? Are they fertile? How common are they?

Thanks for the visit!
-OZB

White-tailed Deer Rut of 2020

wildlife, wildlife photography

The rut of 2020 turned out pretty well for me. I was able to get to my favorite place for this type of photography five or six times. I tried for a few more days, but weather and flooding caused me to change plans. I didn’t get any high action shots, but I am happy with the portraits I got of some of the larger bucks in this herd.

This smaller eight-pointer has an extra antler growing.

White-tailed bucks will often drool in the heat of the rut.

This “wide eight” knew somebody was watching but never did find me.

A buck looking for just the right scent on the breeze.

This guy thinks he found the one. He chased her into the bush and beyond my sight.

This location was not the greatest for fall colors, but I lucked into a couple of interesting environmental portraits.

I lucked into this guy walking under the nicest colored tree in the area.

Here’s looking to bigger and brighter in 2021.

-OZB

White-tailed Deer of 2020 – Part Three

mammals, wildlife, wildlife photography

A buck with small, deformed antlers. Antler growth like this is usually caused by injury or poor nutrition.

Tonight I’m finishing off the neighborhood deer photos from 2020. This buck pictured in the first two photos was a bit odd. Not just because of the aberrant antlers, but he also did not mind my close approach or my following him as he browsed.