I have continued my efforts to single out particular species of birds to obtain really good images.  With the migrants we've had, there have been some interesting possibilities. 

From Spring 2011

This is literally Mother Goose, incubating her eggs out at Lake Lowell.  Canada Geese are trite, but she looks rather elegant up close.

From Spring 2011

Common Snipe probing the wetlands in Canton.

From Spring 2011

Another Common Snipe, up to its knees in mud.  These are cute little shorebirds, and they are already gone.

From Spring 2011

Lesser Yellowlegs.  It has longer legs than the snipe, allowing it to wade deeper.  I've seen it before, but never gotten this close.  I'm not that crazy about shorebirds, but we don't get that many.  So I get excited when I see one.

From Spring 2011

Red-winged Blackbird.  This is actually the best shot I've ever gotten of this very common species.   Stacey was driving me around the riverfront.  We stopped to look in a wetland and this guy flew up and landed on a post right next to the car.  Score!

From Spring 2011

Coots are common too, but fairly hard to get close to. That blood-red eye looks black from a distance. I shot this one from the road just north of Canton in a flooded field. 

From Spring 2011

This is the shot I've been trying all week to get: a good close-up of a drake Blue-winged Teal.  They are gorgeous, and they won't hang around for long.

From Spring 2011

I also got this lovely hen.

From Spring 2011

The drake on the right got a bit worked up when the drake on the left got too close to his hen.

From Spring 2011

The male on the left is now airborne, and the drake giving chase is hidden in the prop wash.  As usual, click through to the Picasa album to see this images in larger form, plus a few others not shown here.