Reader Mark Joseph sent in a batch of photos taken by his friend, a professional photographer. Mark’s captions and IDs are indented, and you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them.
As I’m not much of a photographer myself, a month or two back I sent in some photos from Panama taken by a friend, Ed, from our Thursday morning Audubon club bird walk. Today, some photos from another friend in the same group, Jeff, who in real life is a professional photographer. These are from a birding trip he took to Merritt Island in Florida in March of this year; used by permission. Jeff didn’t provide any identifications, so the ones here are a combination of Google Lens and my mediocre birding skills. Corrections welcome!
Black skimmer (Rynchops niger). I’m not sure about the out-of-focus background bird in the first picture, but I’m thinking that Ring-necked duck (Aythya collaris) is a reasonable guess:
Snowy egret (Egretta thula):
Snowy egret head shot (I don’t know why the lores appear yellow in one picture, and green in the other; some sort of light effect?)
Roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja):
Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga):
Great egret (Ardea alba):
Reddish egret (Egretta rufescens); presumably a “nonbreeding dark adult morph” per Cornell’s “All About birds” website:
Lesser yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes):
American white ibis (Eudocimus albus):
American avocet (Recurvirostra americana); nonbreeding adult:
Common gallinule (Gallinula galeata):
Great shots, thank you.
sublime…
Great shots, especially the egrets. I think those are two different species of egrets. The one with green soft parts is probably a Great Egret. The soft parts of that species turn green when breeding.
Excellent. Thanks!
I think that the duck in the background is more likely a scaup.
Cool. Thanks!
Wow. The Egret shot is amazing!
Gorgeous! The Snowy Egret head is a ‘cover’ shot.
Should be on the cover of Vogue!
All beautiful! I love that Snowy egret. Looks like he/she sees something and is in full mode concentrating.
The snowy egret is an impressive bird.
Thanks for the photos.
Wow! Those are all terrific.
I was just thinking of you, Mark. I accidentally left my garage door open all night and, sure enough, there was a big, scary spider right by the door to the house this morning. I didn’t smack it with my flip flop. I got a glass and an unopened piece of mail and safely moved him outside.
Nice photos. The duck in the first photo is a Lesser Scaup, not Ring-necked Duck (which would have a gray flank, separated by a sharply defined white bar from the black breast).
Great photos, thanks! And, as already noted, that is a Lesser Scaup.
Very nice pictures.
These are beautiful. Lots of exotic looking critters caught in lovely, natural poses. Thanks for sharing your friend’s photos.
Thanks for a gorgeous beginning for my day!
Great photos! Thanks for sharing.
Particularly like the egret photos! Thanks!
Love the egret head on shot
the reason why the bare facial skin on the second egret pic looks greenish, not yellow is because that bird is not a snowy egret, but a Great Egret, Ardea alba
Yes.