The crack of dawn found me at Apalachin Marsh, and I couldn’t find a Reddish Egret to save my life! After shooting in Florida for 3 weeks it was a bit of a struggle to wrap my head around being back here and the kind of shooting we have here. After shooting in shorts and a tee shirt it was a rude awakening having to put long pants on again!!
But the birds didn’t give me much time to think about it because right at first light a cute little female Hooded Merganser came in to keep me company. I used to find these birds to be very ordinary, until I looked closer and realized how beautiful they are. Not as splashy as the guys, but beautiful in their own right.
The reflection is almost as sharp as the real duck!
The guys look pretty good too!
Not to be outdone……..
The “Gumby” duck……
Snorkeling…..
This went on for about an hour, until the Sun began peeking through the trees and throwing some harsh shadows into the mix. The birds had gotten restless too and they decided to go house hunting. Hooded Mergansers are for the most part tree nesting birds. They find a cavity in a tree, usually made by a Woodpecker, and they call it home until the chicks hatch and jump out of the tree. Once the chicks are out of the tree the nest is abandoned until next year.
These birds, at least five females, were all flying and competing for the open cavities near me and it turned into quite a circus! These birds are very fast fliers and they were zooming through the woods looking for a nest tree while trying not to crash head first into a tree! I realized that I was very privileged just to see this but I did manage to get a few pics of the birds checking out the trees.
Like an open house for ducks!!!!
Must be she didn’t like it!!!!
And how can I forget this little guy who kept me company until the big boys came in!
All in all, it was a gorgeous day with plenty to take in and I am grateful for the opportunity to be there. It even made me forget Florida! All for now! Get out and shoot!