Saturday at The River

The Athabasca was getting quite crowded in down town Whitecourt. Most of the small lakes are still frozen so the birds are hanging out along the edge. There were several Bald Eagles around, but I was not able to get photos.

 The mallards are back and starting to pair up. I don't understand why their feet don't get cold standing on the ice!

There were lots of European starlings around also hanging about.

 The sun on the Common Goldeneye makes the iridescence  really stand out, along with the bright yellow eye.

 The Canada Geese are now paired up and the males are on guard keeping the eye on the eagles.

 Cruising the timber's edge.

 I know where to go next time for some in-flight shots. I need practice at this part!

Bits and Pieces

Waiting for the berries to ripen, or for a slot at the feeder.

Twins!

Not sure of the name of this guy. Anybody?

Ratty looking Teal

Ratty looking Teal having a shake.

I am the king on my perch throne

Still waiting!

Surprise!

Second hatch of the year!

Thoughtless Thursday

Experimenting

I was looking across he pond at this Mallard hen today. I could not get closer so I went to maximum zoom with the following results. Not Good!

The camera is a Canon  Power Shot SX50 HS with 50X zoom plus 4X optical zoom. I was sitting and bracing the camera on both knees.

Focal length 215 mm ( 4995   35 mm equivalent)

F number 6.5

Iso 500

1/160 sec

Day was overcast

 As you can see, the image is not very good.

Any body have any ideas on how to sharpen this up? I.e get more detail?

Making Do

One thing I miss about the Acreage is the ability to step out the door into a wild life abundance. Without the Acreage, I now have to adapt. Who says an old dog can't adapt?

On the way home from Edmonton, I decided to pull over and rest my back and stretch my legs. It turns out there was a small pond beside the road, full of interesting critters.

 The Shovel duck was relaxing

 And showing off his beautiful feet.

 A couple of Mallards took no notice of me

  A Blue Winged Teal decided to preen a little

He was even managing to get to those hard to get at places.

And then finally, a perfect pose!

Oops, make that two poses!

On the Way to the Nursery

Spring is officially here! The plant nursery is open for the season! On the way there to pick up some apple trees and some rhubarb, I spotted some activity on a flooded field.

We don't see Shoveller  Ducks very often, but I caught this drake and hen enjoying a snooze in the sun and a relaxing swim.

Of course, the Mallards are always trying to upstage everybody else!

Spring is GOOD!