AKA: Large birds from our bedroom window.
The Backyard Science group regularly publishes The Daily Bucket, which features observations of the world around us. Insects, weather, meteorites, climate, birds, flowers and anything natural or unusual are worthy additions to the Bucket and its comments. Please let us know what is going on around you in a comment. Include, as close as is comfortable for you, where you are located. Each note is a record that we can refer to as we try to understand the patterns that are unwinding around us.
Once upon a time, the owners of the house across the street must have decided they didn't like trees. Odd, I know but the result is that we are the only house in the neighborhood that isn't actually on the water that has a substantial view of Lake Jackson. From our bedroom window we are high enough to actually see the shore of the lake behind our neighbors' house.
Using the spotting scope we can see wildlife a long way off although smaller animals are usually too small to see clearly. Here are a few images (often dark and slightly out of focus) from the last few weeks.
This bald eagle was an ideal subject. He or she was relatively close, very large and sedentary. Even under dim light you could get not entirely horrible photos.
The overcast conditions are typical of times we see raptors perched on the snag. Usually it is following a rain and they are drying off.
This wood duck (along with his mate who didn't show up well in any of the photos) were perched in bright sunshine but they were terribly backlit.
Also in clear weather were these turkey vultures on the far side of the lake (these birds are about half a mile from our house). The bird by itself in the middle is an eagle eating something while the vultures wait.
There is a flock of ruddy ducks in the water between the vultures and our house. At this magnification they will just look like specks on the water.
And now for the biggest of the big birds and my most abject failure in this diary. Despite their size I haven't been able to get any pictures even close to being in focus of the pelicans. I think the problem is that the autofocus has too many targets when birds are on the water.
And so end on a brighter note, back to our friend the eagle to end the bucket.
"Spotlight on Green News & Views" is posted every Saturday at 1:00 pm Pacific Time and Wednesday at 3:30 on the Daily Kos front page. It's a great way to catch up on diaries you might have missed. Be sure to recommend and comment in the diary.