Birds I - Birds of Prey, Shore Birds, Herons, Cranes
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American Coot (Fulica americana)
I photographed this Coot at the Oak Ridge Marina at Melton Hill Lake in late February 2007. Note the feet on this bird. Unlike most water birds, Coots don't have webbed feet, they have 3 webbed toes. They are plant eaters and often eat aquatic plants, but they will nibble on grass and seeds on the land too. It can be a challenge to watch them as they often dive under the water.
One of the favorite activities of young children is to feed ducks. The ducks, geese, and coots in Oak Ridge are well-trained, as soon as they see people walk out onto the dock they quickly paddle up to see if they can get a handout! There is a duck food dispenser by the boat ramp where people can buy dog food pellets to feed the ducks. It is highly discouraged to feed the water fowl bread, it can cause illness in the birds.
Mallard ducklings are precocious, meaning they hatch fully developed and ready to take on the world.
This duck was photographed at the TN Aquarium in Chattanooga. She had been preening, so I had trouble getting a good picture.
Moscovy Duck (Cairina moschata)
I call this the "Elvis duck" because of the upswept look of the feathers on its head. It is a Moscovy duck, it sure is wild looking! The body feathers had a pretty green sheen.
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
Thisgoosw is showing displeasure that I am nearby. I tried to be still and quiet so I could avoid disturbing them too much. The parents dip their head up and down, crooking their neck as a signal that they are upset. In March, the geese pair off and lay their eggs. The goslings hatch in April. The babies are very cute and fuzzy, but don't be tempted to pet them, Mom and Dad will protect them; if you don't know what it means to be "goosed", you'll find out! :) Canada geese have become a problem in many areas, they don't migrate from east Tennessee in the winter. They pollute water and contaminate grassy areas and marina docks with their droppings.
This is a great view of the Coot's feet! This is also what I can do with my new camera and 70-300mm lens! :) I realized I should have used my polarizer after I got home and downloaded my photos!
Don't feed human food to ducks and geese!
I hope those french fries are trans-fat free!
Boerne, TX March 28, 2009 At last, I was able to see these pretty ducks up close! The last time I had seen them they were bobbing off in the distance on one of our local lakes. I liked the purple sheen reflecting off the head feathers. This one is a male.
Mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos)
This male mallard is swimming in the sun, you can see the beautiful colors refracted by the feathers on his head. Note the little curl of feathers on the tail, a characteristic of some male ducks.
Muscovy Duck; Cairina moschata
This is a male Moscovy Duck, sometimes they will breed with other ducks, resulting in some really "ugly ducklings"! I did see a duck that appeared to be a cross between one of these and a Mallard. Actually, the ducklings of this type of duck is yellow and brown, they don't have the red patch of skin. Only males have the red patches, what a strange type of "makeup"! According to a website I found, these ducks are "quackless". They can be aggressive, another good reason not to feed the wildlife!
I saw this banded Canada Goose at Clark Center Park in Oak Ridge. The large plastic neck bands are easy to read from a distance with binoculars.
A Coot in the water. The white beak of the coots makes them easy to identify. They are also smaller than ducks and many other water birds.
This little fuzzy Canada gosling was the only one of its clutch that survived. Canada geese lay large clutches of eggs and often start out with 6 - 8 babies. The goslings often fall prey to snakes, foxes, coyotes, snapping turtles, and even large fish.
Boerne, TX March 28, 2009 Male and female.
Mallard ducks; Anas platyrhynchos
This pair of Mallards was photographed at Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge. When the male is situated at the right angle it is easy to see the spectacular blue-green hue from the refracted light on the feathers of the head. Female mallards are drab brown, well camouflaged from predators when they sit on their nest. They (and the many other ducks and geese) didn't stick around long when the realized they weren't going to get fed! Feeding wild animals human food (bread!) is bad for their health and in some cases can be fatal.
Canada geese (Branta canadensis)
Canada Geese were re-introduced into the east TN area and they have found the lakes, ponds, parks, lawns, and docks very much to their liking. In fact, they like it here so much, they have become permanent residents (or "pests" if they mess up your yard or dock with their droppings!). In the fall they honk and will fly around in the "V," but they don't go anywhere. Researchers often tag the adult geese with large neck bands and leg bands. One of my students once found a dead goose with a metal leg band. I sent the number on the band to the address in Washington D.C., a couple of months later I received a letter telling that the goose had been banded a mile or so away! During the time the geese lay their eggs in March, they begin to molt their flight feathers. The parents are unable to fly for several weeks. They often lay a large clutch of eggs and start out with a big family. However, as the weeks pass, some of the goslings fall prey to predators such as foxes, turtles, and even large fish! This photo shows the size comparison of the Canada gosling to mallard ducklings.
This is why many people don't like Canada geese! Large flocks of geese can leave LOTS of droppings on lawns, on docks, and in ponds. I tell my students that Goose poop is just "recycled grass"!
A Coot diving for food.
Wow, this single mom Mallard has 11 ducklings to keep up with! Many of these cute little birds will probably not survive, some will be eaten by predators. This is one reason these ducks have such large broods. The ducklings are well camouflaged to help them survive in their environment.
I photographed this beautiful duck in an exhibit at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga. He has the striking colors to attract a female. (The female was nearby, but she was more interested in preening than paying attention to him!)
This Mallard drake is "preening", or cleaning his feathers. Since ducks use their feathers for floating on the water, they have to keep them free of dirt and parasites. They must keep the feathers oiled and waterproof in order to float and stay dry. Ducks have a uropygial gland near the tail that secretes oils and waxes that the duck spreads over the feathers with its bill. Oil spills are devastating to water birds because they are unable to clean their feathers, if they try to, they eat the oil, which can be fatal.
A Canada Goose with an attitude!
Ft. Loudon Lake, Knoxville, TN May 13, 2007 Boy, what a lousy time not to have my telephoto lens handy! Loons are usually thought of as being northern birds. They have a haunting call that echoes across the lake.