krnaturalphoto's Blog 
This American Black Duck is watching warily from across the pond.
I don’t see American Black Ducks very often.
The light was beautiful on the day pictured.
I was so happy about the light that I forgot about almost everything else. The scene was just so beautiful that day. I just wanted to click the shutter.
Photo data: Nikon D500. Nikon 300mm f/4. Focal length 420mm. ISO 400. 1/1000 sec. F/5.6.
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Ducks are just cool and interesting in general though often underrated.
Observing animal behavior can be so interesting. It is especially captivating when you see an animal do something you’ve never seen them do before.
A few years ago while camping in the Adirondack Mountain region of New York I was photographing a group of ducks at the campground.
At first it seemed they were just doing their normal duck things. But, then I noticed something I had never seen before.
The ducks were eating some kind of large objects.
I don’t think I realized what they were at the time. But when I got home and could see the photographs on my computer screen I could tell more accurately.
The ducks were eating snails. Not just any snails. Not tiny snails you might see in your yard, but large snails that filled their beaks.
I am really curious about this behavior in these ducks. It seems unadvisable for the ducks to be eating something so large. They were swallowing the snails whole shell and all.
It seemed like you could see the snails bulging in their neck after the snails were swallowed.
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Double-Crested Cormorants are large waterfowl.
The Double-Crested Cormorant is more like a loon or a merganser than a duck.
When Double-Crested Cormorants are swimming on the water they have an odd look to them. They often seem to have more of their bodies under water or just at surface level.
If you see a Double-Crested Cormorant swimming on the water it often looks more like a submarine periscope sticking up out of the water. The cormorants neck and head being most of what is visible above the surface.
The Double-Crested Cormorant will dive under water to catch fish. Often swimming a good distance and re-emerging in a very different location from where they began.
Double-Crested Cormorants are often seen in groups. They are together in the water, in flight, and on land. However, when they are on land it is often perched in a tree.
It is cool to see a group of Double-Crested Cormorants perched amongst the trees. It is not something you see with a lot of other birds. Especially not birds of this size.
It seems unusual and awkward to see a group of Double-Crested Cormorants perched in a tree.
Photo details: Nikon D500. Nikon 300mm f/4. Focal length 420mm. ISO 400. 1/5000 sec. f/5.6.
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Common Loons are not so common in my area.
Every once in a while a Common Loon will appear for a brief period of time in my area. But usually we don’t see them here.
However, if you want to have a better chance at seeing a Common Loon you don’t have to go too far to find them.
I am in New York near the Pennsylvania border, but I don’t even have to leave New York to look for Common Loons.
A five hour drive can get me to the Adirondack region of New York. There the likelihood of seeing a loon greatly increases.
On a camping trip to the Adirondacks I was able to see loons fairly regularly where I was camping. The campground featured a lake, Lake Eaton.
The Common Loons would often be out on Lake Eaton.
Even better than seeing the Common Loons is hearing them sing. It is one of the most magical bird songs. I hope some day you will get the chance to hear it if you haven’t already.
Photo details: Nikon D300S. Nikon 300mm f/4. Focal length 420mm. ISO 400. 1/320 sec. f/5.6.
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The Common Gallinule (Common Moorhen) is a bird often found out on the water.
Finding these Common Gallinule at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge has been fun.
This photo does a good job showcasing the environment where the Common Gallinule live. On a pond. Behind some foliage. Out on the water with other waterfowl like ducks.
I also like the way the Common Gallinule is looking down almost like it is watching its reflection in the water that is visible in the photo.
Photo details: Nikon D500. Nikon 300mm f/4. Focal length 420mm. ISO 400. 1/4000 sec. f/5.6.
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The American Bittern is a bird that can often be found wading around the shoreline of bodies of water.
For me it often seems like the American Bittern is a more reclusive and more well camouflaged shorebird than most. I only ever see them creeping around in tall foliage. I have never seen them out in the open like many other shorebirds.
American Bitterns are a medium sized shorebird. Not tiny like a sandpiper or large like a heron. Right in the middle. The Goldilocks shorebird.
This American Bittern has such a cool look with its neck out stretched among all the foliage.
Photo info: Nikon D500. Nikon 300mm f/4. Focal length 420mm. ISO 400. 1/1600 sec. f/5.6.
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The Belted Kingfisher might be my favorite bird that can be found around creeks and streams.
Belted Kingfishers can be found around just about any type of body of water.
Usually I know they are around because I hear them before I see them. They have a distinctive call that seems to often precede them taking flight. Google their call. It is one of the easiest bird calls to learn because it is so distinctive.
Sometimes I hear then shortly thereafter see a Belted Kingfisher as it zooms by.
The Belted Kingfisher is either found perched on a branch surveying the area or in flight. Not just flying but taking flight with determination. Moving from location to location to find prey it can pick out of the water.
When the Belted Kingfisher spots what it is looking for it dives head first into the water to catch its prey with its beak. Man do I wish I had one of those photos to show you.
This photo illustrates a Belted Kingfisher moving in flight through its environment along a stream in the Finger Lakes region of New York. This was one of the first times I was able to watch Belted Kingfishers on a regular basis.
Photo info: Nikon D300. Nikon 300mm f/4. Focal length 420mm. ISO 1000. 1/1250 sec. f/5.6.
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The American Coot is such an interesting bird.
American Coots are a duck like bird and are often seen with ducks, but they are not ducks.
The body of an American Coot is mostly dark gray colored with a black head. Then there is a narow pointy white beak.
But the most interesting feature of an American Coot is their feet. It is difficult to describe. Just google it. They are pretty cool.
American Coots are often seen swimming around with or near other waterfowl like ducks.
One place I often see American Coots is on trips up to Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge to some birding.
I likehow this image has American Coots at multiple levels of the photo. American Coots in the foreground. The focus in the middle layer is the American Coot flapping its wings. Then the background has a few more American Coots.
Photo info: Nikon D500. Nikon 300mm f/4. Focal length 420mm. ISO 400. 1/2500 sec. f/5.6.
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The Yellow-Rumped Warbler is a small black and white bird with a flash of yellow.
I haven’t photographed these tiny birds very often. But, it is always nice to see them.
I first created images that I liked of the Yellow-Rumped Warbler back in 2010.
However, I have only managed to replicate this a few times since.
Some time I need to make photographing warblers a higher priority.
The photo below is from this first occasion when I captured some nice photos of the Yellow-Rumped Warbler.
Photo info: Nikon D300. Nikon 300mm f/4. Focal length 420mm. ISO 400. 1/1600 sec. f/5.6.
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Yellow Warbler.
Tiny yellow bird.
Bright colors. Easy to spot, but difficult to see.
Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge has been one of my favorite places in the Finger Lakes region of New York to travel to for birding.
Being able to see this Yellow Warbler perched atop some branches singing was so nice. Not something I have seen often.
I like this view of it that depicts the Yellow Warbler singing atop a branch but includes a lot of the surrounding environment that depicts the habitat in which a Yellow Warbler lives.
Photo details: Nikon D500. Nikon 300mm f/4. Focal length 420mm. ISO 400. 1/3200 sec. f/5.6.
