Nature Unlimited, 1 January 2021

This is the additional weekly image thread for the Nature Forum. While images posted to this thread should still be nature in theme, it may contain a small amount of human-made objects and therefore less restricted than the Monday in Nature threads. Please see this discussion for more details: Alternative weekly thread in Nature forum

Each participant please post no more than just one image per weekly thread. Many members will appreciate any information you are willing or able to provide regarding location, shooting process, exposure settings, equipment, and information on the subject(s), including scientific and/or common names.

This week's, and this year's, kickoff image was shot on the Washington coast in summer 2013. I've always loved the coast, having grown up near the beach in Southern California, and coastal subjects remain a fascination. In this case I captured a variety of birds in flight, with the background of the waves and fishing vessel setting the mood on a gray, summer, Northwest Coast kind of day. I understand if this feels more like a landscape, but the birds are what made the image, so I classify it as Nature. All of the birds are gulls of one flavor or another.

Nikon D5100 + Nikkor 70-300mm/4.5-5.6 @ 300mm/5.6, 1/250 sec, ISO 100.

 

American White Pelican making a perfect landing. This was earlier in week at White Rock Lake, Dallas, TX, Nikon D850 with Tamron 150-600mm lens

 

Taken in Jack E Hill Park, Elk Grove, CA @ 1:57 PM
Nikon D750 1/1600 sec, f/7.1, ISO 320 (Auto), Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD A022N @ 460mm, Range: 26.61 meters

Please view full-size



And Happy New Year to all.

 

American Bison, Yellowstone, Nikon D800e, 400mm f2.8 Nikkor w/ TC14e, f5.6, ISO 800, 1/1600sec.
These animals move very slowly during winter to conserve energy given the very sparse forage available

 

In previous threads, I have mentioned that Sandy Wool is a lake in the suburban south San Francisco Bay area. The park services stock the lake with fishes every couple of weeks so that people can enjoy recreational fishing, and the birds get to feast as well. In the winder we have a lot of double-crested cormorants there and some American white pelicans. Only the pelicans can dive deep to catch the fishes, while pelicans mainly try to scope up fishes by the surface. However, when the cormorants surface to swallow, the pelicans would attack them to steal the fish.

 

Cooper's Hawk (I think)

 

Yup. Flat cap, pale nape. And look at the size of those legs! Much bigger than similar Sharp-shinned Hawk.

 

The geese formerly known as Canada - now year-round inhabitants of Southern Illinois

Crab Orchard Wildlife Refuge​

 

Correction: only the cormorants can dive deep to catch the fish...

 

Thanks. Thought I had proof read my post.

 

Hi Deborah, happy new year.

Are those snow geese? I assume I am seeing black flight feathers.

 

Hi, Shun, Sorry for the delay. I wish we had found snow geese that day. This is the eastern shore of Maryland and they usually are all over the cornfields in the winter. I don't know what these are. Some type of gull, I expect. But I had a lot of fun taking photos of the patterns their wings made. We are going to try again.

Debby

 

Oh, those are gulls? Thanks Debby.

I used to live in New Jersey, and I have seen a lot of snow geese on the coast. Once they all went up into the air and it was quite a scene, with plenty of noise too.