Friday Night Photos Feathered Friends Edition

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Fri, 01/31/2025 - 5:00pm

Welcome to Friday Night Photos everyone. Your once a week break from the daily madness of the crazy world we live in. Post any photos, memes, music, or whatever else you find of interest that helps you escape the madness.

After a very dry month with very low humidity we finally got a little rain this week on Sunday and Monday. Little being the key word. .21in. total. It wasn't much but it did help get the wildfires in the county under control. If we're lucky we may get a little more rain early next week. It won't be a lot, probably less than what we got this week, but every little bit helps.

A mix of some of the year round residents and winter visitors at Santee Lakes.

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Double-crested Cormorant

Male Mallard

Osprey

Black Phoebe

Male Northern Shoveler

Male Bufflehead

Yellow-rumped Warbler

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Submitted by Pricknick on Fri, 01/31/2025 - 6:35pm

Gorgeous as always!

Your ability to connect birds in flight with water is astounding! And the Bufflehead putting feet to the water before flight.......Awesome!
Thanks.

—

Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Fri, 01/31/2025 - 7:17pm

Hi, Pricknick

@Pricknick
It took a lot of years to learn the finer points of good bird in flight photography and I'm still learning. Even now, for every good shot there's dozens that end up in the recycle bin.

—

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 01/31/2025 - 7:49pm

Hi Pricknick

@Pricknick

It's nice to see you.

"putting feet to the water before flight" is quite an illustrative description of Social's photo of the bufflehead. I remember, when you talked about, or shared photos, of some of your canoeing or kayaking down peaceful waterways.

Wishing you well

Submitted by humphrey on Fri, 01/31/2025 - 7:19pm

Excellent images as per usual.

Although it is not likely it appears from the angle as if the Blue Heron plans to have a duck for lunch.

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Fri, 01/31/2025 - 7:45pm

Hi, humphrey

@humphrey
I don't think the Coot has to much to worry about, but you're right, it does look like the GBH is checking it out.

—

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

Submitted by snoopydawg on Fri, 01/31/2025 - 7:38pm

Nice. Again

Lake effect….

Guess we’re getting some atmospheric river effect for a few days. But it’s a bummer that the temps are going to be in the 40-50 range.

But Sam still has her little patch of snow to roll in under the big pine tree.

—

Scientists are concerned that conspiracy theories may die out if they keep coming true at the current alarming rate.

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Fri, 01/31/2025 - 7:55pm

Hi, snoopy

@snoopydawg
With the lack of rain so far this winter we could use an atmospheric river or two. Hope Sam's patch of snow last until the next snowfall.

—

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 01/31/2025 - 8:27pm

Hi snoopy

@snoopydawg

I hope it raises the water levels without any flooding.

Sam will just have to play in the rain!

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 01/31/2025 - 7:39pm

Hi Social

Wonderful bird photos, thank you.

The Shoveler looks something like a totem to me.

I do hope you get rain, I can appreciate how precious it is. We had one good rain in the past hot month, and now it's dry, dry,dry again.

Enjoy the weekend Social

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Fri, 01/31/2025 - 8:09pm

Hi, Janis

@janis b
You mentioned it being dry got me to wondering, do you get wildfires there?
Enjoy the rest of your weekend as well.

—

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 01/31/2025 - 8:24pm

I'm not sure

@Socialprogressive

I would call them wildfires, but any of the fires in my surroundings could have turned into one. They were fairly quickly, in 2-3 days contained to a relatively small area in a very vast area of bush/forest. Being close to the ocean, many helicopters were able to drop water, in addition to the fire department on the ground.

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Fri, 01/31/2025 - 9:00pm

Whenever there's a fire

@janis b
near Santee Lakes the helicopters will use it as a source of water to fight the fire. Great for fighting the fire. Not so great for the fish that get scooped up.

—

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

Submitted by QMS on Fri, 01/31/2025 - 7:51pm

May the bird of paradise fly up your lens

(within focal length)
great avian shots
photo meister

—

question everything

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Fri, 01/31/2025 - 8:12pm

Hi, Q

@QMS
This Bird of Paradise was good enough to fly up my lens last May.

—

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

Submitted by QMS on Fri, 01/31/2025 - 8:28pm

wow, that is astounding!

@Socialprogressive
.
took me awhile to figure out it is either a
flower bird in flight or a flying bird flower
amazing color scheme
thanks.

—

question everything

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Fri, 01/31/2025 - 9:04pm

I'll go with flying bird flower

@QMS
This one was at the botanical gardens. It's the only yellow one I've seen.

—

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 01/31/2025 - 8:33pm

I did stop on my way home to watch

helicopters dropping materials off for road re-building that's finally starting after exactly 2 years since two devastating rain storms.

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Fri, 01/31/2025 - 9:15pm

That's a lot of power lines to navigate

@janis b
Strange seeing above ground power lines. Since the 80's all the cable, phone, and power lines are installed underground.

—

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 01/31/2025 - 9:36pm

NZ is a bit behind

@Socialprogressive

California ; ).

Submitted by dystopian on Fri, 01/31/2025 - 9:53pm

nice whirlybird J!

@janis b Hi Janis,

Very neat pic of the chipper!

Reminds of that I think UH-1, or was it -60? Huey I think it was.

I think of powerlines and helicopters not mixing well.

take care,

—

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

Submitted by dystopian on Fri, 01/31/2025 - 9:58pm

Hi pixelators

Hi all, Hey SP!

Thanks for the outstanding bird photos SP! Wonderful images man!

back in a sec with a pic...

—

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Fri, 01/31/2025 - 10:26pm

Thanks, dystopian

@dystopian
Looking forward to seeing your photos.

—

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

Submitted by dystopian on Fri, 01/31/2025 - 10:13pm

she sells seashells

Hi pixelators,

she sells seashells surely at the seashore.

I took pics of a couple here in the inordinately large collection.

First is the art image..

variation in a species - a tropical scallop

I hope that warmed your cockles... my understanding from the Pacific coast of North America was that cockles did NOT have the wings at the apex of the shell, and scallops do have 'wings' at the base..

These are Cone Snail, are are deadly as in lethal or fatal.

There are lots of very beautiful types, I will dig out some more. They shoot a harpoon out the pointy end with a powerful neurotoxin. Paralysis of heart etc. can be fairly quick. They thought for a long time they could only shoot out in the direction the cone pointed, which turned out to be wishful thinking. I have seen them take small live fish in aquaria, it is instant. We handled live ones with more caution than Blue-ringed Octopus. Live fancy depwater Hermit Crabs often come in the shells.

Happy trails all! remember to take photos...

—

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

Submitted by QMS on Fri, 01/31/2025 - 10:21pm

cockles and mussels

@dystopian

—

question everything

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Fri, 01/31/2025 - 10:39pm

Hi, dystopian

@dystopian
Pretty shells as well as nice examples of textures and patterns in nature. Thanks for the info on the cone shell.
I have a question about the yellow-rumped warbler I posted. Is it an immature myrtle or a different sub species?

—

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 01/31/2025 - 10:16pm

Hi all

I saw this large Kahu harrier land slightly below me in the bush on a Nikau Palm, 30 yards in front of me. It landed on the opposite side of the Nikau and was out of sight. I had my phone within reach and I stood there as still as possible for at least 15 minutes. I figured by then it was gone, but how could I not have seen or heard it fly off? I’m not sure, but I think its flight might have been a silent one down through the bush? I was surprised to see it land in the bush. Either I see them soaring high up over open ground, or above the bush, or on the road eating carrion. I was surprised to see it land in a fairly dense area.

An online photo of a Kahu, the harrier I saw briefly …

Enjoy and be well

Submitted by QMS on Fri, 01/31/2025 - 10:30pm

that bird appears to mean business

@janis b
makes our local kestrels seem timid
in comparison

—

question everything