I was not in a hurry to go for my walk this morning. I had
already checked the tide charts last night and knew that the tide would be high
at 5:44am and low tide at 12:15pm. Hearing from my birding friend and my blog
site's webmaster Eve on the birds that she saw yesterday on the Rios side of the
lagoon by the freeway, made for an easy decision on where I was going to go for
my walk this morning.
As soon as I got out of my truck at Rios Avenue, I saw
Herb, a local photographer grabbing his camera and heading towards the east trail at Rios. It is always
educational to tag along with Herb but you have to walk really fast to keep up. Soon I am birding by myself and
end up on the upper trail chasing a Northern Flicker with no success of a good capture. Walking back to the tide
channel I spot a lone Western Grebe.
Western Grebe, a beautiful diving bird that barely leaves
the water as it can't walk on land but is excellent at diving and has a
unique mating dance that usually takes place in open waters of
lakes during breeding season. A close-up of his bright red eyes.
As I walk east on the trail that leads to the freeway, I spot
a male Wigeon that looks ready to fly...
As I snapped the photo above... this is the next frame.
The lift-off of these dabbling ducks is incredibly fast!
These ducks makes the lift-off look so
effortless...
He is off and gone in the blink of an eye.
I also captured a female and male Wigeon that flew by.
There was a sudden panic among the shorebirds and here's the
reason: A juvenile Peregrine Falcon makes an appearance! Peregrine
Falcon measures 16 inches long with a wing span of 41 inches.
This is the fastest bird on earth! In this photo, he sets up for a
dive.
The quiet lagoon came alive with shorebirds flying wildly
in a scramble to scatter out of his range. That is impossible of course. If
you have ever seen a Peregrine hunt, he is here one moment and across the lagoon in the next.
Able to dive at over 200 mph. There is no
prey that can outfly him. The Peregrine descends and causes
chaos! This is just a lucky shot. It was impossible for me to
follow his flight with my camera.
Two birders are next to me with binoculars spotting for
me following the Peregrine's dive but the Falcon is much too fast to follow.
I point the camera blindly in the direction of the dive
and click away... as you can see there is panic and disruption and
excitement! The red arrow points to a blurry shot that may be the Peregrine swooping but I can't be positive. As fast as the falcon appeared, it left the area just as quick. The lagoon soon settles back to its usual calm as did my heartbeat.
When things got back to normal... I spotted a pair of
Green-winged Teals swimming by.
The Green-winged Teal ducks are the smallest of the Teals
. Measuring only 14 inches long with a wing span of 23 inches. This is a male in full breeding
plumage.
You can tell a Green-winged Teal from a Eurasian by the
white stripe on their shoulders. The Eurasian, also known as the Common Teal,
does not have the white stripe on the shoulders.
Two Northern Pintail drakes swim by... You can see the long
tails and the reason for the name, Pintail.
Looking on shore, I spot a Blue-winged Teal. Wow, this is
really a treat. They are not as numerous here at the lagoon and hard to
get a close-up shot.
Blue-winged Teal measures 15.5 inches long with a wing
span of 23 inches. This is a male in breeding plumage with the white crescent markings on his face.
A frontal view of the white crescent markings on his face.
A male swims in front of a female Blue-winged Teal.
A closer look at the male Blue-winged Teal. A very
beautiful duck. I have also noticed that many males have dark cherry-red eyes.
This is what I have been waiting for... a flight shot to
show you the beautiful powder blue markings on his wings!
Both male and female have the beautiful powder blue wing
feathers. As you can see only the male has the crescent markings on his face.
As with all dabbling ducks, their take-off is instant. They
are airborne in an instant. The female looks very similar to other Teal females.
A close look at the wings.
Two Blue-winged Teals flying together. The powder blue
color shows up nicely.
The gray color of the drake's head will have a metallic
appearance much like a pearl paint on a fancy car. It picks up different
colors in the sunlight. Sometimes looking bluish gray or pinkish
gray. It is quite beautiful.
A nice look at the under wings.
In this photo the metallic green catches the light on his secondary flight feathers.
One last look at the Blue-winged Teal.
Happy to get some flight shots of the Blue-winged Teal, I
am ready to head for home but I spot a drake and a female Northern Pintail
that have swum close by... perfect
for a photo op. What a sweet look the female has as the male swims towards her.
What a handsome drake he is. This male is in full breeding
plumage. He is picture perfect.
I should really go home but decide to make a quick walk to
the peninsula trail to see what is out there. Lots of Dowitchers in the main
pond but I spot the American Kestrel on the fence post. As I approach the
area, she allows me take one quick shot before she flies off.
I follow with my camera and get a flight shot. American
Kestrel the smallest and most delicate of our falcons. They are only 9
inches long with a wing span of 22 inches.
The clicking of my camera gets her attention. I say goodbye and head for home.
Have a nice day everyone.
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