As the title says..... Another few hours today spent observing ducks! These birds are just captivating , to watch their behaviour , and see the details and colour in their feathers! Above image is a Ringneck Drake ... I like to call them RingBills! The above slide show is of course The American Wigeon (Baldpate Duck) In the midst of shooting, people walking past often ask me what these colourful , but small ducks are.... I'm always happy to share my knowledge... The above gallery is of course local Wood Ducks ... amazingly beautiful birds!
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What a lovely Spring day on Southern Vancouver Island! Flowers are popping everywhere and birds are making plans for families!!! After some errands in Victoria later this afternoon, I stopped by one of my fav ponds and enjoyed the birds and some terrific folks that walk past. Todays blog is dedicated to a brave young Wheaten Terrier named Tikka, who I spotted when I arrived ... doing the typical Wheaten .. pull the leash trick.. but with a difference. Tikka was completely missing a front leg and her Mom told me about the horrific incident that happened just before Christmas when a Pit Bull grabbed her and shreaded the small dog. So badly injured, her owner felt she must be dead but a Victoria vet removed the leg, patched up Tikka's injuries and today she was out enjoying the Spring sunshine. Tikka.. you are 1 beautiful & brave little dog ... Thank you for the inspiration! woof woof ......... Terry :) Today I was fortunate to have been invited on a flight with a great friend from Victoria to Chilliwack and back again! What takes 3 to 4 hours by vehicle was about 27 minutes each way via this small prop plane! A crystal blue sky day... Perfect for flying..... Below is a photo I shot coming into Victoria airport showing a bit of Pat Bay (where I take many of my photos each week)
Many Thanks to BoB for a terricic experience today!!! WOW.. fun!!! All the very best... Terry :) Todays photo adventure gave me a new star (or group of stars... The American Wigeon...well, I suppose these are Canadian Wigeon :)) ... I never checked their passports! A very common duck around North Saanich that enjoys the shallow ebb tides in some local waters as these ones were today @ Roberts Bay in Sidney. They were quite enjoying the local vegetarian fare including eel grass and some kind of fine kelp like noodles! :)
Wigeon have a very distinctive whistling sound, not a quack. The males (like the one above) have a lovely irridescent crescent on the side of their head and a white/ cream top with a pale blue bill and gorgeous mottled body feathers. Females are equally as beautiful with their slightly more subdued colouration. Below are 3 of todays photos of the little molting Anna's hummingbird ,3 of a Kingfisher @ Pat Bay , then 3 more of our wintering Surf Scoters, a G B Heron, then lots of Wigeon and a couple photos of local Common Crows. Such fun!!! ... All the best... Terry :) A very cloudy afternoon with light rain , but back out at Pat Bay and I can never resist taking pictures of Mr Heron!
Anna's Hummingbird Junior from the back yard as well! (all taken with the 100-400 @ ISO 3200) |
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February 2025
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Summer 2023.. I just received notice that my blog has been awarded a distinction of being one of the top 10 photography blogs in Canada.
* All images and content copyright Terry Venables and NaturalImagesCanada *
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