Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Scaup

One week ago, on 7 May 2015, I joined friends to go on a birding walk at the south end LaFarge Meadows, accessed off 194th Ave. The weather was beautiful, though the temperature was only 7C-11C, and the birds were so far away. I did manage to get a distant shot of two of the three Trumpeter Swans (both juveniles) that were near the river. A Bald Eagle flew overhead and a Great Blue Heron flew in the far distance. A little Savannah Sparrow posed in a small tree for us and a Muskrat was seen in the large pond by the river. After the walk, I decided to call in at a wetland in SW Calgary, hoping that at least a few of the birds would be close enough for photos. I met a delightful, enthusiastic and knowledgeable photographer/birder while I was there, and she showed me the area accessed from an entrance point that I had never tried before. I had hoped to maybe see a Common Grackle at this wetland, as I had seen photos taken there by other people, and sure enough, there was one down near the water's edge. Just managed to get one lucky shot before the bird flew off. Many people don't like Grackles, but I see them so rarely and I think they are beautiful birds. A few duck species and other birds were seen, including Ruddy Duck, Lesser Scaup (seen in this photo, swimming through such beautiful reflections), and Mallards (of course). Also Coots, a pair of Grebes, and a few Yellow-headed and Red-winged Blackbirds. WHY PHOTOGRAPHERS (and others) GET SUCH A BAD NAME! Shown on The Weather Network. I'm still shaking my head over this short video! www.theweathernetwork.com/videos/Gallery/all/video_galler...

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all Mothers and Mother figures (including Grandmother, Step-Mother, Mothers-in-law, Guardians). In Canada, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May each year. Of course, each and every day should be Mother's Day : ) Hope everyone is enjoying the new Flickr layout, lol! What a mess! Hope they get this all sorted out - and quickly. WHY PHOTOGRAPHERS GET SUCH A BAD NAME! Shown on The Weather Network. www.theweathernetwork.com/videos/Gallery/all/video_galler... Three days ago, on 7 May 2015, I joined friends to go on a birding walk at the south end LaFarge Meadows, accessed off 194th Ave. The weather was beautiful, though the temperature was only 7C-11C, and the birds were so far away : ) I did manage to get a distant shot of two of the three Trumpeter Swans (both juveniles) that were near the river. A Bald Eagle flew overhead and a Great Blue Heron flew in the far distance. A little Savannah Sparrow posed in a small tree for us and a Muskrat was seen in the large pond by the river. The reported list is as follows, though I didn't see many of these birds myself: 1. Canada Goose-15 + two families with young 2. Trumpeter Swan-3 juv. 3. Gadwall-4 4. American Wigeon-40 5. Mallard-30 6. Blue-winged Teal-42 7. Cinnamon Teal-3 8. Northern Shoveler-6 9. Canvasback-6 10. Redhead-1 m 11. Ring-necked Duck-6 12. Common Goldeneye-3 13. Common Merganser-5+ 14. Red necked Grebe-3 15. Great Blue Heron-2 16. Osprey-2+ 17. Bald Eagle-2ad. (adult on nest feeding young) 18. Sharp-shinned Hawk-2 (1 m/1 f.) 19. Swainson’s Hawk-3+ (includes one dark morph) 20. American Coot-100 21. Killdeer-4 22. GREATER YELLOWLEGS-1 23. SOLITARY SANDPIPER-2 24. SPOTTED SANDPIPER-5 25. Franklin’s Gull-380 26. white-headed gull sp.-1 heard 27. Black-billed Magpie-3 28. American Crow-2 29. Common Raven-3 30. Tree Swallow-20 31. Northern Rough-winged Swallow-1 32. Bank Swallow-1 33. American Robin-2 34. European Starling-1 35. CLAY-COLORED SPARROW-1 heard 36. Savannah Sparrow-15 37. Song Sparrow-3 38. Red-winged Blackbird-6 (5 m/1 f) After the walk, I decided to call in at a wetland in SW Calgary, hoping that at least a few of the birds would be close enough for photos. I met a delightful, enthusiastic and knowledgeable photographer/birder while I was there, and she showed me the area accessed from a point that I had never tried before. A handful of duck species could be seen, including this handsome male Lesser Scaup. Just love his black and white, patterned feathers. "Two scaup species live in North America: the Greater Scaup prefers salt water and is found in America and Eurasia, while the Lesser Scaup prefers freshwater and is found only in North America. The Lesser Scaup is one of the most abundant and widespread of the diving ducks in North America." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Lesser_Scaup/id

This handsome Lesser Scaup was swimming with its mate on a very small pond, SW of the city, on 7 June 2014. I so rarely see pond reflections like this, so thought this made a change. "Two scaup species live in North America: the Greater Scaup prefers salt water and is found in America and Eurasia, while the Lesser Scaup prefers freshwater and is found only in North America. The Lesser Scaup is one of the most abundant and widespread of the diving ducks in North America." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Lesser_Scaup/id

Can never remember which Scaup this is, Greater or Lesser, but both are beautiful ducks. This one was photographed in Bridlewood on 21 June 2011.

Usually, I need to look through someone's scope to see any Scaup, they are so far away, so I always enjoy seeing and photographing this species much closer at a little wetland in SW Calgary. I think I'm right in saying this is a Lesser Scaup rather than a Greater Scaup. This handsome male obliged, on April 22nd. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Lesser_Scaup/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesser_Scaup

I didn't time this shot too well, but it is so rare that I ever see either kind of Scaup this close! Not sure if this is a Lesser or Greater Scaup, but I think maybe Lesser.

I THINK this is a Lesser Scaup female - I know the difference between the Greater and Lesser Scaups, but can never remember which way round it is. Seen in a local wetland within the city almost a week ago.

Though Scaup are not uncommon here, I don't usually see them close enough to really "see" what they look like. I was lucky to have this male swim close enough for me to get a photo yesterday. I had taken a few shots of a Scaup in the same place three days ago. However, I discovered last night that the photo above is of a Lesser Scaup and my previous photos (not yet posted to Flickr) were of a Greater Scaup, so I was happy with that. The duck in this photo has a slight purple iridescence on the back of the head, and an almost-crest. The Greater Scaup has a more rounded head. I have SO much to learn, LOL!