Alien Feet

A log barely jutting out of the water was a popular perch for a flock of American coots. Politely they took turns, clumsily climbing on and off in constant rotation. After I got the images loaded onto the computer, I noticed their feet. I was like 'huh?' Somehow they just don't go with the rest of the duck.

The American Coot is more closely related to Sandhill Cranes and Rails than mallards or teals. Although it swims with the ducks, it does not have webbed feet. Each of the coot's long toes has broad lobes of skin that help it kick through water. The lobes pull back each time the foot is lifted so it can walk on dry land and support its weight on muddy ground.

Everything has beauty,
but not everyone sees it.
Confucuis

More Mergansers

More of the hooded mergansers from the lake behind our State Capitol. I am so happy to learn that these are year-round residents here, though this is the first year I've seen them. More information may be found at allaboutbirds.org.

You aren't wealthy until you have something money can't buy.
Garth Brooks

Linking with Weekend Reflections and Saturday's Critters.

Duck, Duck, Goose...Ibis

These are most of the waterfowl Double D and I saw on December 29th at the lake surrounding our State Capitol and Arsenal Park in downtown Baton Rouge. Some are in better focus than others because they were constantly in motion. Plus, they were pretty far from land, so major cropping!

Canvasback - male (a new lifer for me!)

Hooded Merganser - male (yeah, I know you've seen it already). I just have so many!

Canadian Goose portrait. What I wouldn't give to have blue eyes like this!
If anyone can help ID this one, I'd appreciate it. Thanks, anvilcloud for the correction.

Ring-necked Duck - female

Ring-necked duck - male

Two pairs of male and female Wood Ducks

Lesser Scaup - female

Lesser Scaup - male

A "raft" of redheads (another lifer!)

An injured immature white ibis trying to hide on a low cypress limb.
He appeared to have a broken wing and looked very distressed.
I called animal control and within 15 minutes a deputy came out and tried to rescue him/her.
As it was nearing dark we all had to leave, but the deputy promised to come back the next day and check on him.
I love living in a state that truly cares for its wildlife. Later, I prayed that God would look after it.

Today would have been my mom's 75th birthday. I can't believe it's been almost two years since her death. I miss her more than I can put into words. I'd love to have one more chat with her and get her perspective on all the family drama happening right now. Mama, you were a doodle and we miss you so much.

God's tender mercies are over all his creatures.
Psalms 145:9

Participating in Weekend Reflections and Saturday Critters.

Hooded Mergansers

Double D and I went out to look for more bird species to add to our birding list the last Sunday of December. Once again, we didn't get what we were looking for, but came upon several species of ducks we had not seen before, such as the Hooded Merganser below.

Hooded Mergansers are diving ducks, looking mostly for crawfish, fish, and other food. Mergansers can actually change the refractive properties of their eyes to better spot prey underwater. They also use their transparent third eyelid or nictitating membrane like a pair of goggles to protect their eyes while underwater. Their feet are set too far back to make walking comfortable, but it's very useful for diving.

What happened to your mate? This one's taken sistah.

Dangit, where'd my mate go?

"Until we extend our circle of compassion to include every living creature we cannot enjoy 'World Peace'."
Albert Schweitzer

Linking up with I'd Rather B Birdin'. Thanks, Anni so much!!

Great Backyard Bird Count

Time to lighten this place up! Thanks to everyone who offered advice and words of comfort on my last post. I have the wisest, kindest blog followers in existence. Love y'all!

Today was the last day of the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), so I decided to visit Arsenal Park and Capitol Lake, which are side by side in downtown Baton Rouge. Somewhere between the two areas I dropped my iphone and after a frantic 20 minute search found it lying in the grass. Whew, that was close! I was having severe anxiety, lemme tell ya!

I counted 16 different species of birds and got a bonus animal that I was not expecting. A windy, cold, but totally fun couple of hours. As I was about to leave there were two trees that suddenly became populated with birds. Thinking they were the annoying red-wing blackbirds or grackles, I pointed my lens up to the tree and saw that they were Cedar Waxwings! There must've been a hundred of them. Unfortunately, they were very high up so I could not get a decent shot. But I am posting some photos of them anyway because it's the first time I've ever laid eyes on one. What a great way to end the event.

Cedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing line-up

Cedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing

Eastern Phoebe

Ring-billed gull

Downy Woodpecker

Another sweet pose by Phoebe

Ring-billed gull

Ring-necked duck, male

Ring-necked duck, female

American Coot and Ring-necked ducks feeding frenzy

Nutria, my surprise visitor

Yellow wildflowers growing through the rocks

Ibises Galore

More of the ibises spotted at Highland Road Park. A foot of water on the soccer fields proved irresistible to these birds. The white ones are the adults and the colored ones are juveniles. They eat mostly aquatic prey such as small fish and insects, preferring crawfish. During breeding season they gather in large colonies. Pairs are mostly monogamous, and both male and female care for their young. The chemical methylmercury has impacted the behavior of the white ibis, with reproduction and mating behavior significantly affected. The chemical has also increased the male-male pairing behaviors by 55%. Hmmmm...fascinating. Source: Wikipedia.

This one seems to be saying TIME OUT! 

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