Well, we officially passed the halfway point of our northwest excursion, otherwise known as the point my butt longs for multi-ply toilet paper (RV humor). We are now on our way inland from the pacific tip of Washington as we make our way south. I originally wrote up an intro that covered some of the not-so-great aspects of the trip so far. Most of the way into it decided you deserved better than that screed, scrapped it all and will simply summarize as somehow we have lost a great deal of society decorum. The cause is probably a thesis in itself, but my gut says the faux pandemic is at the core or maybe political polarization – I’ll leave it for historical study. Regardless, it has been glaring to the point Linda’s new favorite shirt is one she got at a fish hatchery in Cascade Locks, OR that reads “I Hike Because People Suck”. Laughed out loud when she saw it..had to have it ha. Let’s flip the script and brighten up the post. Birding has been really good and after today’s +1 in the mountains of Idaho I’m now sitting at 373+3. The 400 goal for this year is definitely in reach..maybe even before we make it back home!
With the rewrite, I opted to switch to a featured feathered friend that ALWAYS bring a smile whenever we find it in the field
Smiles, smiles and even more smiles after the jump!
I still remember a birder Ron and I met at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge on our Texas trip last January asking me what my favorite Duck was. Although that was the first time I have ever been asked that question, the response was immediate – “The Wood Duck“. Maybe it was a test, apparently passed as he complimented the choice. Would love to hear in the comments what your choice would be given a similar inquiry. For the curious, the Northern Pintail (link here) is a very close second choice, but there is one element that tips the scale to the Woods.
Want to guess what that might be? Big hint, it’s the male’s better half. The Pintail’s complimentary color palatte and sharp hue transitions are stunning and can hold up against the vibrant colors of the male Wood Ducks….but…the Pintail females are a bit blah dressed up in the mottled browns pretty common to the rest of the females in the Duck family. Contrast that with the stunning tear drop eye ring, fine white bill edging and that punky hairdo – reference below.
Is there a cuter female hen out there? Add in their smallish/delicate stature and “You had me at hello”. They also have tinges of the green/blue hues of the male about the wings and face that reveal themselves when the sun hits them just right.
Queens of the swamp in my book and clearly the drake is a fitting mate for such a delicate looking waterfowl. Individually, few birds make me happier through the viewfinder, squeeze them both into the same shot, might as well call me Bobby McFerrin (link here).
Sing it little lady….
“Here’s a little song I wrote
You might want to sing it note for note
Don’t worry, be happy
In every life we have some trouble
When you worry you make it double
Don’t worry, be happy
Don’t worry, be happy now“
You just smiled, I know you did!
These frown decimators come to you courtesy of a trip we took to Arizona back in (sheepishly looks down) 2024. Our travel plans take us across the Texas Handle and through Amarillo. There is an urban park there we always try to hit on our way through as it happens to be the easiest location to check off the Cackling Goose for the year.
Sure, there are plenty of other places to get the Cackling, but who really wants to parse through hundreds and hundreds of Canada Geese looking for those tiny bills – not fun as it also means taking boat loads of flock shots to review in the digital darkroom hoping to pick out the one or two Cacklings. Compare that to pulling up at this park and walking straight up to dozens of Cacklings – every once in a while birding can be easy ha.
The Medical Center Park (“Medi Park”) has since been renamed the John Ward Memorial Park (link here). Don’t expect much info on that link – pretty lame webpage. I do not do Facebook, but this page has a lot more background on the park (link here). There is a really nice walkway around the pond and the birds in the area seem very accustomed to human traffic allowing you to get some really nice close shots.
These Wood Ducks were a nice addition to the Cackling checks and probably my favorite series of this particular bird. Normally I am having to tramp around a swamp fighting varying degrees of horrible lighting to get these beauties in the tin. The clear views and helpful lighting bringing out their iridescent hues really made the day.
Need to get up early tomorrow and continue our trek south, so better wrap this up. I’ll leave you with this last shot which I happen to like a lot. It gives a really good look at the rainbow mullet in the back, the brilliant red eye and the incredible feather detailing throughout the body.
I think I’ll title that last shot “Summer Curling” – the Canadians out there will get the reference hehehehe.
May you wear your infectious smiles proudly and hopefully help to bring about a better disposition to those around us – take care!
Life Intrigued 