[noelpolar]

Waddle, waddle, waddle goes the Echidna through the Australian bush.... DFA 150-450... was trespassing on Kangaroo Island....

[Pentaxians]

Hill Prinia, taken earlier at Yunnan, China.

[Canada_Rockies]

Swainson in Flight K3 Sig 500

Great shots!

---------- Post added 2017-11-17 at 09:35 ----------

Waddle, waddle, waddle goes the Echidna through the Australian bush.... DFA 150-450... was trespassing on Kangaroo Island....

Weird looking beast. Great snap.

[dadipentak]

I have to take exception to the bad-mouthing of the Susquehanna and Potomac Rivers. True, we need to take better care of them and both are subject to turbidity resulting from erosion and this is especially noticeable in their extreme downstream reaches (Conowingo and DC) after significant upstream rain events. However, they are both gorgeous rivers supporting rich ecosystems.

By way of tip-toeing back on topic, here's a juvenile heron with a crayfish taken on the Potomac near Harper's Ferry with the DA* 300/4 & AF 1.7:

[pete-tarmigan]

Swainson in Flight K3 Sig 500

Nice captures. I'd call it a Red-tail, though.

---------- Post added 17th Nov 2017 at 14:33 ----------

amazing what you can learn from these photos, I had never heard of such a bird

I'm not surprised, since the Podargidae have a rather limited distribution: parts of south Asia, southeast Asia, and Australasia. They're related to the family of Whip-poor-will, Chuck-will's-widow, and nighthawks (Camprimulgidae).

[chuck_c]

Gull set. S-M-C Takumar 300mm f4 on the K-1.


Alone at the top by Chuck Campbell, on Flickr


Odd bird out by Chuck Campbell, on Flickr


To each his own by Chuck Campbell, on Flickr

A couple of color shots from the same outing.


Dam at Hoover Reservoir by Chuck Campbell, on Flickr


New County Line Rd Bridge by Chuck Campbell, on Flickr

[rkappleby]

Nice captures. I'd call it a Red-tail, though.

Thank you Pete - I'm guessing the very red tail was the giveaway here -- Grey hair moment - that's what I'm going with anyway

[dadipentak]

I guess I'll just skip the apology for posting more photos of the Cooper's Hawk. We had a blustery front come through yesterday morning and the light was just amazing.

[rkappleby]

photos of the Cooper's Hawk

Hey Dave are you stapling mice to that tree??

[dadipentak]

Hey Dave are you stapling mice to that tree??

It is pretty amazing that he keeps hanging around and all the "regulars" woodpeckers, robins, jays, starlings etc have relocated to other parts of the wood--except for these guys who've been feasting in the Bee-Bee tree.



I've found evidence that that's what's keeping the hawk around.

[normhead]

It is pretty amazing that he keeps hanging around and all the "regulars" woodpeckers, robins, jays, starlings etc have relocated to other parts of the wood--except for these guys who've been feasting in the Bee-Bee tree.



I've found evidence that that's what's keeping the hawk around.

They look tasty.

[pete-tarmigan]

Thank you Pete - I'm guessing the very red tail was the giveaway here

That, and the dark bars on the wing between the body and wrist, and the dark comma on the coverts at the base of the primaries.

[RockvilleBob]

As you know, the water in the Potomac ain't exactly crystal clear, either. Heck, the treated Potomac water coming out of my tap has been brown since August due to dissolved organics and manganese.

@RockvilleBob: Hawk Mountain in Hamburg, PA experiences an eagle peak this time of year, but again, there won't be the same kind of density as at Conowingo. However, the presence of other Raptors might still make it a worthwhile weekend outing. It's about a 2.5 hour drive from the DC metro, and there is nice hiking in the preserve, as well as excellent free hiking on the Appalachian trail at the Pinnacle and the Pulpit if you are into that sort of thing. There are also some bald eagles at the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area near Lancaster, PA, but the big story there is always the giant waterfowl migration (up to 100k Tundra Swans) in February. The drive time there is similar to Hawk Mountain.

in VA, there are Caledon State Park (2+ hrs), and Mason Neck Wildlife Refuge (~1 hr), each of which have decent nesting populations. Both are on the brown brown Potomac but have better backdrops of vegetation during green times of year.

Thanks
I've been to Mason's Neck for eagles - a good site. Conowingo certainly has the numbers but all I need is one and some good fortune. I am considering a couple day trip to the Upper Delaware River area along with more Conowingo visits.

[dadipentak]

Update: That dove shot above was taken about a month ago. The doves are still on that tree but here's what it looks like now after that hard freeze last week:

[onlineflyer]

Update: That dove shot above was taken about a month ago. The doves are still on that tree but here's what it looks like now after that hard freeze last week:

Very nice capture.