Monday, May 10, 2010

Singing blackbird

Hitting the high notes

Last week I posted some shots of this red-winged blackbird posing among the yellow blooms, but my real hope when I started shooting him was to get some nice shots of him in mid-song in this terrific setting. They have such a wonderful unique call, and I always enjoy it in early spring when we start hearing them again in the local parks.

Singing blackbird

Friday, May 7, 2010

Mute Swan an Ellis Creek WRF

Mute Swan

There were a handful of swans swimming through the freshwater ponds at Ellis Creek Water Recycling Facility in Petaluma, CA. This particular swan was quite agitated that a Canada Goose was also swimming around its pond, and continually swam after the goose until it decided to leave.

Mute Swan

Later on I understood its unhappiness with the other bird around, since when I walked around the backside of the pond that was overgrown with rush, I saw another swan sitting on what I guessed to be her nest.

Mute Swan

Even though this is an introduced species in America, they are still quite fun to see, as they truly are a beautiful species.

Mute Swan

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Quick Post -- Blackbird at Ellis Creek WRF

Red-winged blackbird

This blackbird will likely make a few more appearances on my blog in the near future. He was really quite a showoff, and the sinuous branches with yellow flowers made for a great setting.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Quick Post -- Red-winged Blackbird

Red-winged blackbird

A male red-winged blackbird showing off for me along the trail at the Ellis Creek Water Recycling Facility in Petaluma. He bounced from branch to branch while singing, giving me a few different takes on the scene with a variety of background colors (this is a seasonal wetland behind him). It would have been nice to capture the end of the branch in this frame, but the wind was blowing (cause of his ruffled feathers) and he was floating around in space far too much to control.