Photo of the Week: Great Egret on the Hunt

Large white wading bird with long orange bill pauses in the shallow water as it searches for prey.

Standing still on the edge of the pond, the striking Great Egret can’t be missed as it hunts for food.

The large white bird, a bit smaller than a Great Blue Heron, hunts for small fish and amphibians, which it spears with its razor sharp bill and swallows the prey whole.

It’s fascinating to watch the Great Egret in shallow water, where it either walks very slowly or stands still while waiting for prey to swim by or poke their head above water.

Continue reading Photo of the Week: Great Egret on the Hunt

Photo of the Week: Lesser Scaup on a Wintry, Snowy Day

Blue-billed blacked-headed duck with grayish-white body lazily swims in the pond.

When it comes to identifying scaup, a common duck seen in winter in southeast Michigan, I’m zero for two in the past two months.

I’ve photographed and identified the duck as a Greater Scaup, only to be gently reminded the bird I found was a Lesser Scaup.

They can be challenging to identify. Continue reading Photo of the Week: Lesser Scaup on a Wintry, Snowy Day

Photo of the Week: Tundra Swans in Lake Erie Marsh

Two Tundra Swans sim in the shallow water of a marsh, Mallards and Canada Geese in the background.

The large white Tundra Swans stand out in the marsh as they slowly swim in the calm blue waters; dozens of Canada Geese and Mallards move more quickly in search of food. Tundra and Trumpeter Swans are commonly seen in winter months along the Lake Erie marshes in both Michigan and Ohio, where I do… Continue reading Photo of the Week: Tundra Swans in Lake Erie Marsh