Around the Pond

Duck Ecology was another class my husband and I took during the Festival of the Cranes. This class was held at New Mexico Tech, a very nice campus in the heart of Socorro, about 18 miles north of the Bosque del Apache. Our presenter was John Vradenburg who is a full-time employee at the Bosque, the Land Management Research and Demonstration Senior Biologist. His presentation pointed out how the Bosque's habitat relates to all the duck species that visit the refuge. He showed us the migration patterns of these birds as well as their breeding strategies and how the refuge is an integral part of their lives.

After class was over, we visited the pond just outside of the classroom, where there are always many ducks and geese, including hybrids, hanging around waiting for a "handout." They are so used to humans feeding them. But that is one thing I refuse to do since they are supposed to be "wild." I was surprised to see this beautiful ring-necked duck in the pond. We usually see these birds only at the Bosque.

And then I took several photos of my favorite duck that lives on this pond, the American Wigeon. Their whistles as I call it are so unique. Typically I think of "ducks" in general as "quackers." But this species "whistles!" I'm not positive, but I think in the photo above we are looking at a female. Notice the brighter green of the plumage on the wigeon behind this bird. But then it could also have been the lighting, the way its head was turned (or not) toward the sun.

And then I saw something that broke my heart. Notice this mallard. It does not look good. A closer look reveals that there is a pin, a push-pin, in its chest. Now, how did it get there? It's obvious this duck wasn't going to live much longer. It seemed to be swimming along as if nothing was wrong, yet it was so pale.

Upon further observance, I saw some movement and heard twittering going on in the bushes next to the pond. I had to see what all the noise was about. And I found a few song birds there. Below is a titmouse trying to hide. I can't ID the other bird below it (possibly a red-winged blackbird).

And then I found out who was doing the singing - a few white crowned sparrows. It's amazing how close to the water these birds get.

One bird I usually see, but did not see this time, is the killdeer. They are usually around the pond in large numbers, but I don't remember seeing any that day and hour.

A few more birds ...

Below are a few more photos I took while attending the Festival of the Cranes. These photos were taken at the pond at New Mexico Tech. A couple posts ago I mentioned that I like American wigeons. I not only like their calls, but also like their coloring, both plumage and their bills. Even in their fall plumage these birds are still attractive. I like the behavior description Don and Lillian Stokes give in their field guide. It says: "As early arrivals on their southern wintering grounds, they immediately begin courtship, which lasts until March. ... During courtship, competing males repeatedly give whistling calls..." I guess that's why I kept hearing so many of them calling; I didn't realize they were beginning their courtship. Also funny, they aren't in their breeding plumage yet.

Also seen in the pond were a couple of ring-necked ducks. I find this another attractive duck, and another duck with a multi-colored bill. And you sure can't miss their yellow eyes!

Waddling around on the campus near the pond were several hybrid ducks and geese. Here is one I found interesting with its greenish head and blackish body, and a nondescript bill.

Another unusual looking duck - I think it was a duck. The all white color is quite striking and then it has a bright orange bill. Isn't that a typical color (bill) for mallards? I'm fairly certain it was not leucistic, but nonetheless a nice looking duck.

And here is another photo of another American wigeon. At first I thought this one was a female, but a closer look makes me think this is a male. I wonder if it is a first or second year male since its coloring isn't as striking as the first photo I posted.

Festival of the Cranes - Saturday Workshop

Saturday's workshop was another photography class I chose to take. This one was an introduction to digital photography. It was held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and included lunch. Not bad for $30.00. This class focused on the casual photographer, those who use point and shoots or consumer oriented DSLRs. The workshop was held at New Mexico Tech and the entire morning covered the basics of learning to use one's camera and its settings. Of course, I had both my cameras with me (as usual) - my Kodak point and shoot, and my Canon Rebel Xsi. It was helpful to have the basics presented as a refresher. Some of the points covered that interested me were knowing when to use a faster or slower shutter speed or a higher or lower ISO, or even a higher or lower f-stop, etc. After lunch, we returned to the classroom for one more thing to focus on, and that was composition. We were then asked to take photos out and around the campus, especially around the pond. We were then to return to the classroom and critique everyone's photos. The first photo below was my "composition" photo. I used the trees on each side of the pond as frames while focusing on the water spray in the pond with the mountain in the background.

Another form of composition was to photgraph some of the birds in the pond. This was one of my better shots of a couple of "goofy" geese. It was a bright sunny day, and the water was clear so most everything we took photos of had good reflections of the birds.

During our workshop we had the opportunity to meet one of the best local photographers. Jerry Goffe is a professional nature photographer and lives either in Socorro or near the Bosque. Click on the link to learn more about him. He has had many of his photos published in national magazines. Jerry brought a bunch of his Canon equipment to allow all of us to "play with" the various large lenses. Below is a photo of an American Wigeon that was taken with a 600mm lens attached to my camera, and was set up on a very nice tripod. Those large lenses sure are nice, but to carry one of them around with a tripod seems a bit much for me. And let's not talk about what these lenses cost, or even the tripods. I don't plan on being a professional photographer.

This photo is (I think) the same American Wigeon that I took with my Kodak point and shoot with a 10x zoom. When I compare these two photos I feel content in having a close enough and in focus photo with a camera that is quite inexpensive in comparison.