Three Water Birds at Centennial Park
/Last week my husband wanted to try out some new camera gear and decided to do it at Centennial Park. I tagged along to do some photography myself. The lake is settling into winter.
I saw three birds on the water.
Canada geese were the most numerous although still a smaller number than I often see. The water was high in the lake and the stone jetty near the boat launch (closed for the winter) was partially submerged. A goose stood on one – like a game of ‘king of the hill’ with the other geese.
There was a female bufflehead was periodically visible. Buffleheads are diving ducks that are very hard to photograph while they are feeding.
I managed to capture a sequence of the bird just after it surfaced…and then it dove again!
The third bird I saw on the water was a female common merganser. This bird was not feeding but quickly swam further away than I could follow with my zoomed lens.
That was it – less that a dozen Canada geese and then two lone ducks!
Walking back toward the car, I photographed some old birds nest fungus. There were still some ‘eggs’ in some of them…but probably thoroughly dried out by now.
There was also a very robust lichen on a dogwood tree. With all the extra rain we have recently the lichens and mosses are bigger and brighter than usual.
