Walking on water

I had planned to send these two photos to the Facebook page, The Worst Bird Photos Ever, but I think they may be interesting, so here they are.

Running takeoff

Hopping takeoff

Dabbling ducks, such as mallards, rely on their larger wings to take to the air almost vertically. The divers, such as these Harlequins, need to get up speed before they can fly. Loons are so slow that they may need up to a quarter mile (about 400 m.) to get airborne. I couldn't find distance requirements for harlequins.

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Corriendo sobre el agua.

Había pensado mandar estas fotos al sitio "Las peores fotos de pájaros", pero creo que pueden ser interestantes, así que aquí están.

Las aves anatinas, que buscan su comida en aguas poco profundas, como por ejemplo el pato real, a causa de tener alas amplias, pueden despegarse de la superficie casi verticalmente. Las buceadoras, en cambio, tienen que alcanzar una cierta velocidad antes del despliege. Los colimbos pueden requerir hasta 400m antes de lanzarse al aire. No pude encontrar los requisitos para los arlequines, como los de estas fotos.

High water at Oyster Bay

After the swan count this morning, I stopped by Oyster Bay to look at ducks. Last week, there was a flock of about four to five hundred; mixed mallards and wigeons, plus a variety of little peeps dashing about the tide flats, eating what looked and smelled like rotting muck. Delicious!

This week, the tide was higher than I ever remember seeing it here, and the breakwater that surrounds the lagoon and the tide flats was almost completely covered. A few birds still waited there for the water to recede.

Wigeons in flight, disturbed by my presence on the path above.

They make trails in the water as they leave.

At the tip of the remaining breakwater. Wigeons, pintails, mallards, peeps and a crow.

And one Canada goose.

Gulls overhead

This afternoon at White Rock ...

A Skywatch post.