Showing posts with label Bufflehead. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bufflehead. Show all posts

Sunday, December 07, 2025

Autumn's Migrating Bufflehead

 

"Fall comes with many colors, to challenge a green summer."

~Neamat Alishiryan

The prettiest of the migrating ducks, the pretty little Bufflehead! They are fast little diving ducks, and they are the smallest of that class, weighing only about a pound. They are great fun to watch, and quite a challenge to photograph, as they dive down really fast, and bob back up only when they feel like it. They are gorgeous birds, the males with the colors of the rainbow around the head, and the females have a beautiful white streak on both sides of their head. Their migrating flight brings them from Alaska and Canada, flying at night to reach the Pacific coast and sometimes spots inland, like Cosumnes River Preserve. It's nature like this, that makes me thankful that I moved out to the San Joaquin valley, because I never saw them when I lived in the Bay Area. They are all over the place here, but now that I know I can find them in Bodega Bay, I will visit more often. That will be especially convenient if we move somewhere near the upper coast, of Sonoma, or Marin Counties, or even somewhere on the western Delta.






Wednesday, January 24, 2024

A Woman Who Stares At Ducks

 

“I once taught a duck how to swim.
 I'm such a good coach that in no time at all it learned how to fly.” 

~Jarod Kintz
 
As uninspired as I have been feeling lately, I found a lot of happiness in photographing this gorgeous Bufflehead duck, at the Clifton Court Forebay. There was still a shocking lack of birds, but I still managed to photograph two new birds. The Shrike and the Song sparrow. That brings the total for January to 80! Not too shabby. The Shrike photo is blurry, so hopefully I will get a chance to redo that at some time later this year. I have seen one at the forebay on other occasions, so I am pretty sure it will happen. It's something to look forward to. Sigh. This lack of inspiration will pass, I just need to get there. 
 
By the way, this also happened yesterday...
 
The Oscar Nominations were announced.
 

Biggest snub... Margot Robbie. But Ryan Gosling was surely nominated. In case you didn't know, he played Ken. Don't get me wrong, I like Ryan Gosling very much, but holy HELL! I won't give anything away, but that whole dynamic sure drives home the whole point of the movie! If you haven't seen, Barbie, go watch it. You will enjoy it, I promise! See the full list of nominees here. All I have to say is, FUCK THE OSCARS!
 

 
 
And also, this happened...
 

Sigh...