Field Notes Update

A Long-tailed Duck Scratching That Itch /  by Todd Henson

Scratch that itch! Notice its bluish feet.

Back in 2019 I was fortunate to witness a duck just a tad off course during its Spring migration. A long-tailed duck showed up at the beautiful Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, a location I wish I was able to get to more often, and we just happened to be there to see it. So I went back the next day with my longest lens and spent the entire day happily photographing this duck as it swam around the same little pond, diving down for food every so often.

Notice its foot again, draped over its back

In going through the photographs I noticed a number of them where the duck is scratching an itch, or in some cases likely just preening, and I think each photograph is interesting for the different positions and looks of the duck. In some you can’t see its long tail at all, in others its very visible. And some show its fascinating bluish webbed feet, which are most often hidden below the surface.

Another view with its leg stretched across its back

The long-tailed duck with head down, preening.

I hope you enjoy this look back at this beautiful bird, one I’ll never forget.

To see more of this beautiful duck take a loot at:

Oh, yeah, right there! Notice the long tail.

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A Wren and the Guard Rail /  by Todd Henson

A Carolina wren sitting atop a guard rail post.

Today I wanted to share an interesting and humorous little bit of behavior my father and I observed from a Carolina wren while we were hiking the trails of a local state park. We had just exited the woods and the trail then paralleled the entrance road, the two being separated by a guard rail to protect any hikers.

As I exited the woods I noticed a small wren sitting atop one of the guard rail posts, its tail tilted upward in that characteristic wren fashion, with their fast little movements. My father and I stopped and I attempted to capture a few photographs. The light wasn’t ideal and I didn’t have as long a lens as I’d have liked for this subject, but I still wanted to capture any images I could. I love wrens and sometimes they do interesting things. This one didn’t disappoint.

The Carolina wren hopped to the guard rail facing us.

I wouldn’t say the wren was overly afraid of us, but at the same time it obviously wanted a little more space, so it hopped onto the guard rail facing us and then quickly hopped down into the bottom hollow of the inside of the guard rail, watching us the entire time. When it moved into the hollow between the guard rail and the post I quickly moved a little closer. Doing this I could get closer without it seeing me move. Sometimes this lets you get closer to a subject. It’s similar to waiting until a diving duck dives under water before moving closer to the pond. Only move when the wildlife doesn’t see you.

Hopping along the bottom hollow of the guard rail the Carolina wren tilts its head back watching us.

When it popped back out into the open, still in the bottom hollow of the guard rail, it paused and looked our way. It hopped on to the next guard rail post and went through that little gap. Once again, I moved to keep up with it, but only moving while it was hidden behind the post.

After emerging from the other side of the guard rail post the Carolina wren once again looks our way.

I captured one final image of it pausing before entering the next hollow. After it emerged from the other side it flew up into the nearby trees where it met up with what appeared to be two or three more Carolina wrens.

A final photo of the Carolina wren pausing before hopping into the hollow between rail and post.

Watching it hop along that guard rail hollow, and moving between guard rail and post, was such an interesting behavior and one we thoroughly enjoyed watching. I hope you’ve enjoyed this little retelling of the experience.

Have you seen similar behavior from wrens or other birds?

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Resting on the Rail /  by Todd Henson

A small gray treefrog, resting on the rail.

It’s nice sometimes when wildlife comes right to you at home, at least when it’s harmless and non-destructive wildlife. That was the case here with a couple small gray treefrogs at my front entrance. One was resting on the vertical brick wall and the other was on the metal railing right beside a small tree, which provided a nice background for it.

Gray treefrogs really are fascinating little creatures.

I tried photographing the one on the brick wall first, but it was skittish and hopped away shortly after I snapped the shutter. You can see a photo of it towards the end of the post. But the second frog, on the metal railing, showed no interest or concern of me and the camera. It was simply posing on the railing. Maybe it was resting, or waiting for some insect to come closer, or perhaps it was just staying still hoping I’d go away.

I didn’t spend a long time with the frog, but I did attempt a few shots with different perspectives or framing. I think I prefer the angled shot that opens this post, but it was also interesting getting in close to better see some of the details in these little creatures.

This is as close as I got. I didn’t want to get closer and risk scaring it away.

I like taking a little time while post-processing to analyze my photos, to see if I made any mistakes or if there are things I could do next time to create a better photograph. Looking back, one thing I might try next time would be a polarizing filter. I wonder whether that might have reduced some of the glare from the damp skin of the frog, perhaps letting us better see the color and texture of its skin. And I might try another angled shot but lower down, more at eye-level with the frog to give a more personal perspective. The next challenge is remembering what I’ve learned so I can apply it in the future.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this brief look at one of my lovely neighbors.

The one that hopped away…

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