Bonnie Rannald's Photo-Explorations in focus with nature. : American white pelicans

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Walker Lake Water Fowl

A Day of Birding at Walker Lake

Walker Lake is a natural lake lying within the Great Basin Desert that is also on the Pacific Flyway, the north-south travel route for American migratory birds. Fed by the Walker River which has been diverted for agricultural use, the water level of Walker Lake has dropped over 126 feet (38.40 m) from its 1882 elevation of 4083 feet (1244.5 m). As the lake recedes, salinity increases and has reached a critical level where the water can no longer support the native, Lahontan Cutthroat Trout. A smaller fish, the Tui Chub which is a major food source for the Cutthroat Trout and numerous water fowl has also become endangered.

As salty as the lake has become, it still attracts large numbers of birds to its cool, clear waters.

Large white American Pelicans fly back and forth between Walker and Pyramid Lake on a daily basis in the warm months. The American Pelican does not dive for food, but catches it while swimming.

Phalaropes or wadepipers are halophilic (salt-loving) shorebirds. Feeding on small insects or crustaceans, they breed in western North American and migrate to South American.

California Gulls are the state bird of Utah and noted for assisting the Mormon settlers in the plague of Mormon crickets. They forage in flight on insects and also feed on fish while swimming.

One of the unique characteristics of Walker Lake is the Orb-weaver Spiders that thrive in the hot summer months of July and August. The spiders set up communal webs that cover the rocks and boulders. Their favorite food source is the damselfly which can be seen covering part of the webs. Keeping nature in check, the spiders help feed the shore birds and also the lizards that live around the rocky banks.

What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been. I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences.

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

"Reflecting Nature's Artistry"

Many of these images are available on my website:

http://www.bonnierannald.com/

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Friday, December 2, 2011

Tundra Swans at Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge

Calls of the Wild Ones

The last Tuesday in November of 2011, while the weather was still nice, I made a visit out to the Stillwater Wildlife Refuge, near Fallon Nevada. Stillwater, with its numerous isolated wetlands is an important area for migrating shorebirds and has been designated by the Western Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve Network as a site of international importance.

As I was approaching the Auto Tour, which takes you to several viewing areas, I noticed a number of large white birds on the water. From a distance, they appeared to be the American white pelican that is very common to the lakes and streams in Northwestern Nevada.

After setting up my Nikon D90 with the 500mm lens on the tripod and getting out my bird identification book, I realized that these were Tundra swans.

Tundra swans breed and summer in the coastal plains of Alaska and Canada. As winter approaches, they fly south to areas where their food sources of aquatic plants, mollusks and arthropods are more readily available.

During breeding season, the Tundra swan sleeps mostly on land. However in the winter, it sleeps on the water where it is better protected from predators.

Immature Tundra swans are duller in appearance with grey feathering mixed with the white.

Tundra swans are known to become very vocal when foraging in flocks and will make excited calls to those arriving or departing, sounding similar to the honking of the black goose. On this day, it was very noisy at the quiet Stillwater Refuge.

What an interesting day to watch these large birds flying in for a landing and then running on the water to get airborne.

For more information:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/tundra_swan/lifehistory

Photographs Make Great Gifts