On Friday, April 12, 2024 I joined a field trip with Nature Calgary to Frank Lake, east of High River on Highway 23. It was a beautiful day and an excellent group of birders to join with on the walk.
Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm plus MC20, 200mm, ISO 800, f/13, 1/1250.
There have not been may shore birds in Calgary yet this year, but on this trip we saw one Black-necked Stilt (flying overhead) and 12 American Avocets which flew over and then landed on the water. The American Avocets (Recurvirostra americana) are quite colourful.
Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO 1250, f/18, 1/1000.
We never saw the Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus) land, but I was able to take a picture while it was in flight.
A Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) was sitting on its nest and quietly observing us from a small island a few meters from the shore.
Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO 4000, f/13, 1/1600.
We have seen a small number of Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) over the last few days, but we saw more of them at Frank Lake.
Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO 2500, f/18, 1/1600.
American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) seem to land with little regard for what is on the water. This Pelican almost landed on the gulls.
Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 340mm, ISO 2500, f/16, 1/1250.
The Canvasbacks (Aythya valisineria) were a long way from shore and they were quite hard to pick out. There were two telescopes in the group, so others identified them. Eventually a small group flew over and that helped confirm the species. They were back lit by the sun, so the colours are not sharp.
Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 772mm, ISO 500, f/13, 1/1250.
There were lots of Northern Pintails (Anas acuta) on the water, but they were a ways away. When I was driving on Highway 23 on the way home, I spotted some closer to the shore and stopped to take a picture.
Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO 800, f/13, 1/1250.
Directly across from the Pintails was a farm cat (Felis catus) out hunting in the field.
Olympus OM-1, 100-400mm + MC20, 800mm, ISO 2500, f/13, 1/1250.
All pictures photo-edited with On1 Photo Raw 2024
No comments:
Post a Comment
All comments are moderated to ensure positivity.