November 19th, 2008 bnwilson6624
Ring-necked Duck
Tina and I finally went birding today, in spite of the cold north wind. We read a report of a Long-tailed Duck on Lake Vadnais, but were unable to find this rare bird. We were however treated to numerous Common Goldeneyes, Hooded Mergansers, Mallards, several Northern Shovelers and 6 Tundra Swans. We also saw one of our favorite smaller ducks, the Ring-necked Duck. Usually they are hard to photograph as they are smaller than the mallards, and stay a good distance away from shore. While stopping to shoot pictures of the swans, we came across one Ring-necked close to shore, diving for lunch.
2nd shot
3rd shot
Normal shot of ducks look like this:
Notice lone Bufflehead in mix
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November 13th, 2008 bnwilson6624
Lance in the wind tunnel
CyclingNews.com is displaying some video shot of Lance Armstrong training in a wind tunnel. Lance also discusses his upcoming return to racing in 2009. If you enjoy cycling and have any interest in Lance, you may enjoy these 2 videos.
Postings are at http://video.cyclingnews.com/video/2008/lance_armstrong/video_player.php?id=0
and
http://video.cyclingnews.com/video/2008/lance_armstrong/video_player.php?id=1
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November 10th, 2008 bnwilson6624
Friday, we experienced our first snowflakes of the season and the feeders were quite busy, with many of the birds trying to ‘bulk up’ for the cold. One of the finches got our attention as his colors didn’t seem to match what they should.
Both the House Finch and Purple Finch have been quite prevalent in the backyard, but this guy had quite a different coloring. He has the markings of the House Finch, but instead of the typical reddish purple… notice the yellow/orange.
Yellow House Finch
One of the Cornell.edu sites had this information: “Xanthochroism: yellowish or orange plumage, usually instead of red. While orange or yellow House Finches are often thought to have xanthochroism, their color variation is actually diet based. House Finches are typically yellow or orange in the west because of their diet.”
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November 7th, 2008 bnwilson6624
If you are looking for help with any still photography or video shoots, I have a solution for you!!!
Our youngest son Jeff and his new wife Christy are moving here to St. Paul next month. Jeff recently graduated from Full Sail University. (Jeff was 2nd in his class.) Christy graduated from University of Central Florida in Law Enforcement and also has a passion for photography.
Jeff’s resume is posted on his website at www.ubertruder.com. If you know of any opportunities for an “aspiring Camera Operator with an affinity for lighting”, please feel free to contact Jeff at Jeff@Ubertruder.com.
Christy plans to persue her passion for photography and is available for any still photography shoots. She specializes in glamor shots, weddings and family portraits. Some of Christy’s work is viewable at www.cwilsonphoto.com.
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November 7th, 2008 bnwilson6624
Winter arrived this morning with a light dusting of snow… nothing like the 40+ inches that fell yesterday in South Dakota.
The feeders are busy as all of the backyard birds prepare for the colder weather. Along with all of the usual suspects, a Fox Sparrow stopped by:
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