Heading North unmolested

[TARNATION !!!]

Originally Posted by charlie cleveland

jack those are really good pictures..arnt we the lucky ones that get to see such sights... i really like the old grreen head...do you have a photo of a red head..only seen one in my life not to many of them in north miss... charlie

Charlie: Red Head ducks aren't normally around here in great numbers. This is a very different year. It is so wet and so much more available wetlands for the ducks/geese that I am seeing more and more species in numbers well beyond the norm. I have even seen four snow geese. I only see them during migration by the millions but never during mating season. Not sure if these four are just smarter than the millions or if they are just lazy or first go round and couldn't wait any longer.

Here are some recent shots from the past few days. I find "in flight" tough shots. Far tougher with the camera than the Parker. The Red Head flock is about 400 yards. I would put the mallard "touch down" around 200 yards, as well as the three RedHeads in flight. The swimming RedHead pair is about 100 yards. Any nice in flight shots are 50-60 yards. I shoot a lot for a decent pic but when there is a good one, I enjoy it.

Now I know where the RedHeads are in a flock, maybe I can find where they feed and then intercept them along the way for some in flight entertainment.

Last pic is CHARLIE still believing in possibilities. She swam a long way and the blue bill just putzed along in front. When she came to shore, I think some of the liquid she shook off was sweat. I haven't bothered to shoot migratory ever since the lead shot ban. I did have the barrel on the SKB semi opened up for steel, just in case I ever wanted to bother. CHARLIE thinks I should bother

Cheers,
Jack

[Wild Skies]

Originally Posted by Jack Cronkhite

Charlie: Red Head ducks aren't normally around here in great numbers. This is a very different year. It is so wet and so much more available wetlands for the ducks/geese that I am seeing more and more species in numbers well beyond the norm. I have even seen four snow geese. I only see them during migration by the millions but never during mating season. Not sure if these four are just smarter than the millions or if they are just lazy or first go round and couldn't wait any longer.

Here are some recent shots from the past few days. I find "in flight" tough shots. Far tougher with the camera than the Parker. The Red Head flock is about 400 yards. I would put the mallard "touch down" around 200 yards, as well as the three RedHeads in flight. The swimming RedHead pair is about 100 yards. Any nice in flight shots are 50-60 yards. I shoot a lot for a decent pic but when there is a good one, I enjoy it.

Now I know where the RedHeads are in a flock, maybe I can find where they feed and then intercept them along the way for some in flight entertainment.

Last pic is CHARLIE still believing in possibilities. She swam a long way and the blue bill just putzed along in front. When she came to shore, I think some of the liquid she shook off was sweat. I haven't bothered to shoot migratory ever since the lead shot ban. I did have the barrel on the SKB semi opened up for steel, just in case I ever wanted to bother. CHARLIE thinks I should bother

Cheers,
Jack

No big deal, but the only Red Head ducks are the three in flight, the flocks of "Red Heads" on the water and the swimming pair with the Ruddy drake are really Canvasbacks.

[TARNATION !!!]

Thanks for that observation Greg. Heading out soon for the dog hike. Will try to get close enough for some clear in flight shots, as neither species has been in abundance here.
Cheers,
Jack

[TARNATION !!!]

Had a good hike. Not around at the right time for most the ducks. Settled on images of a familiar shore bird for most of us who have spent time around sloughs, the Avocet. I ended up filling the memory card and was wondering what would I see on the way out that I will be annoyed about not having another card along. I use 8GB cards, so it takes a long time to fill one and I forget it is not endless. Well, Murphy's law held true. I encountered another unusual species for the area - antelope. Male, female and fawn. They only moved off the trail and stood about 75 yards away. I just kept rolling along at about 5MPH and watched them for a short while. The fawn wasn't too old, about triple the size of those little (some might say annoying) toy poodles. Now a Standard Poodle has my respect as a great hunting dog. I have never owned one but have watched one working in the pheasant fields. Very nice dog. The mosquitos were ugly tonight, even with netting jacket. The hands were bare for operating the camera and those little buggers knew it too. Okay, I seem to have blathered on a bit. Here are some shots of the Avocet

[Dean Romig]

Nothing like you have Jack. Here on the Shawsheen Flats we have had Canadas serenading us to sleep and waking us in the morning (somewhat earlier than we would like) ever since ice-out and many of them are resident birds. Several species of ducks stop by for a few brief days but never in great numbers. For the last six or seven years two or three pairs of Mute Swans stay for a few weeks but eventually move on. It's nice to watch but not awe-inspiring like you all have in the plains.

[C.O.B.]

Lemon Merang (?sp) pie is hard to beat. Just polished off the last of the Ruhbarb the wife made.

Dad in your honor and that of the Boswell I have purchased a Claybaugh (London) 12 bore hammer gun. Shes sound of body with 30 inch fine damascuss choked IC/M. She's a lot lighter than my Grade 3 two frame Parker

[TARNATION !!!]

A little more study for that spelling bee next week, "Son". Made a mistake with rhubarb when Mom was a young bride. She knew how much I liked rhubarb pie so made me two one day. I ate the first one in usual young man style. I ate half the second one the next day and left the other half in the fridge for a bit too long. Mom asked why it was still there and I made the mistake of my life when it comes to pies. Nobody with life experience was there to give me a kick or explain how important the answer would be. I simply said, it doesn't quite taste like grandma's rhubarb pie - which was true but not that big a deal, unless you are a young bride who believes her "man" hates her baking. End result - not a single rhubarb pie for me for forty years and counting. Oh Mom will bake, but rhubarb remains a reminder of how one must very carefully assess a question from our better halves. I can't even trade her one of my lemon pies for a rhubarb baked by her. I'll assess whether or not to mention more shotguns in the "extended" family. I think I need to build the brownie point bank for a bit. Enjoy the Claybaugh.

I went a little early for the dog hike today. The gazillion snows are now a bazillion. Actually saw three young guys heading into a field to try their luck. They would be attempting to take a few after lift-off from the temporary lakes. I think I would set up where they go for dinner rather than hope for some pass shooting; however, with a bazillion birds, I imagine they did okay.

Cheers
Jack

[C.O.B.]

Back in the old days before Canada went to non toxic shot a group of us went to Manitoba for two weeks of Waterfowl and upland birds. We started off in the Pas for ducks then down to Oak Lake for geese. The number of Snows and Blue Geese along with a few Ross was spectacular to say the least. You could hear the birds comeing off Oak Lake for 20 min before you saw them.

The wife makes a good rhubarb pie...not quite up to my Moms but thats a secret I'll keep

[ch]

Wish I could of ate a piece of you mothers pie Richard I like good rubarb pie with some homemade vinalla ice cream. best ch

[Dean Romig]

My mother would make pies from what we grew in our garden and we had a good size rhubarb patch, a quarter acre of strawberries and ten high bush blueberry bushes. Her pies were "to die for" and she would bake strawberry-rhubarb or blueberry-rhubarb pies all the time. We had lots of apple trees, pear trees, peach trees, corn, beans, squash, etc. so we ate very well and liked what we ate, thanks to Mom.