Friday Night Photos Feathered Friends Edition

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
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Great Egret
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Double-crested Cormorant
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Male Mallard
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Osprey
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Black Phoebe
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Male Northern Shoveler
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Male Bufflehead
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Male Bufflehead
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Yellow-rumped Warbler
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Pricknick's picture

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

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

Socialprogressive's picture

@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.

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janis b's picture

@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

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

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Socialprogressive's picture

@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.

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snoopydawg's picture

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Lake effect….

IMG_1282.jpeg

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.

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

Socialprogressive's picture

@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.

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janis b's picture

@snoopydawg

I hope it raises the water levels without any flooding.

Sam will just have to play in the rain!

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janis b's picture

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

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Socialprogressive's picture

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

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janis b's picture

@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.

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Socialprogressive's picture

@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.

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QMS's picture

.

(within focal length)
great avian shots
photo meister

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question everything

Socialprogressive's picture

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

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

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Socialprogressive's picture

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

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janis b's picture

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

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Socialprogressive's picture

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

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janis b's picture

@Socialprogressive

California ; ).

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dystopian's picture

@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,

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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

dystopian's picture

Hi all, Hey SP!

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

back in a sec with a pic...

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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

Socialprogressive's picture

@dystopian
Looking forward to seeing your photos.

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dystopian's picture

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..

scallops2.jpg

variation in a species - a tropical scallop
scallops1.jpg
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.
cone-snail1.jpg

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...

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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

QMS's picture

@dystopian

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question everything

janis b's picture

@QMS

Thanks for that lively Irish song. This was a short entertaining read about Molly Malone ...

https://www.irishfamilyhistorycentre.com/article/a-brief-history-of-dubl...

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Socialprogressive's picture

@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?

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janis b's picture

@dystopian

Thanks for the photos from your shell collection. I will remember the look of the cone snail for future reference.

Be well and may the cockles of your heart always be warm.

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janis b's picture

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

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QMS's picture

@janis b
makes our local kestrels seem timid
in comparison

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Socialprogressive's picture

@QMS
I saw a kestrel while out with the bird watching group I belong to. Unfortunately it was to far away for a good photo.

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Socialprogressive's picture

@janis b
To bad you weren't able to get a shot of it. I don't know how many times I've sat and waited to get a shot of a bird only to have it fly off the moment I turn away to look at something else and turn back only to see departing bird butt.

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snoopydawg's picture

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All its missing is the water skies. Oh wait…it doesn’t need them.

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