Outdoor Ontario

Photography => Ontario Birds => Topic started by: Jaedon on December 31, 2007, 05:49:38 PM

Title: Tommy Thompson park Dec 31 2007
Post by: Jaedon on December 31, 2007, 05:49:38 PM

I went for a walk with my 5 year old this afternoon while the baby was sleeping and managed to find an American Kestrel (I have no idea if they checked his paperwork at the Canadian border  :P ) flying around us.  We chased him around for a little while and managed quite a few nice shots.  Especially the one with the fresh kill in it's talons.  That also happened to be the first shot of the afternoon.

(http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/8339/pc310470zs7.jpg)

About an hour later we found him again and he sat and posed for me this time.

(http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/3497/pc310602retouchif2.jpg)

(http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/6632/pc310616retouchbj3.jpg)

(http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/1227/pc310657retouchyw2.jpg)

Then a about a Kilometer further into the park we saw a Juvenile Bald Eagle sitting WAY out on the ice away from anyone who didn't happen to have a long lens or a telescope to see him with.

(http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/6900/pc310476kd1.jpg)

And lastly there were TONS of ducks around...but this one was my favourite of the afternoon.

(http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/2973/pc310488retouchbz8.jpg)

There we're quite a few Long Tailed Ducks (please tell me if I got that right or not)

Female:
(http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/6898/pc310527hw9.jpg)

Male:
(http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/127/pc310586retouchxf5.jpg)

And this guy who I have no idea what he is other than really cool looking:
(http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/4255/pc310562retouchnw4.jpg)

Thanks for looking.

Jay

Title:
Post by: GStuart on December 31, 2007, 07:05:22 PM

The last is a Common Goldeneye.  Nice photos.

Title:
Post by: Jaedon on December 31, 2007, 07:40:34 PM

Thanks for the ID GStuart.  I know I have the wrong name on the ones I called Long Tailed but I cannot find them in any of my birding books.  The closest thing I have found was a Pintail but the colouration seems wrong.  This one had a distinctly black head and the pintails in my books have brown heads.

Title:
Post by: GStuart on December 31, 2007, 09:41:06 PM

The only thing you are missing about them is their hyphen.   :)

Long-tailed Duck (http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Long-tailed_Duck.html).  Perhaps your bird books list them by the old name - Oldsquaw?

Title:
Post by: Jaedon on January 01, 2008, 08:12:03 AM

Thats the one.  Thanks G.  Old Squaw is exactly what I have in my books but they did not show the winter plumage.  That's what was leaving me confused.