Just Snowies

It isn't very often I am able to get two of these birds in the same frame when they are flying. The two Blue-winged Teal with their heads above water were pure gravy (since their heads are underwater so much of the time).

I was motivated to take this picture by the beautiful water reflections. Most of the time, they are standing in ugly water.

I accidentally clicked on a the photo with the White Balance Selector and changed the color of the image. I kind of liked it and so offer it as a possibility from an alternative universe.

This walkway crosses over a narrow area of the pond allowing access to a little bit of woods on one of the shorelines. Some of the snowies have decided they like to stand on the railing. After preening itself, I think this one was bothered by feathers in it's mouth. You can see the tiny feathers at the end of it's bill.

There are several techniques different snowies use to catch fish. One is to study the water and race to a spot where a minnow may be disturbing the water. This one hurried to the shoreline and then backed off almost as quickly. It turned out the water disturbance was caused by a turtle swimming by. It is only the second one I have seen in the marsh. I didn't think turtles particularly like brackish water. The other one I saw was an Eastern Mud Turtle and based on the part of the shell I can see, I think this one probably is also. The snowy, on the other hand, may have thought it was a snapper.

I thought this odd angle on a snowy taking off had a certain "je ne sais quoi." That is French for "I don't know what." And, I don't know what, but all the colors seem complimentary — which you don't usually see in a un-staged scene, plus you get a good sense of the length of their wings.