Gotcha

A banded kingfisher pair moved in last week. They usually hang out on the natural side of the lake, not near the houses. This year they were forced to utilize the human area due to the ice that remained on the lake for an extended period this year. The only open water was on our side... Though, the ice melted yesterday. (I watched it get smaller and smaller then, poof, it was gone!) :) Yet, today the kingfishers were still hanging about our trees at the dock. Those trees are a good distance from the house (say, 60 feet or so) and the two kingfishers immediately fly away if I raise my camera from inside the house! I managed to sneak out onto the deck for this shot, but only got 2 off. This is seriously cropped and not worth large, but I was happy to get an image that was identifiable. It's been a personal challenge this week...

Well, I think spring has sprung finally. As I said, the ice finally melted, the nights are staying above freezing and our loons arrived yesterday. We have a pair of loons that nest on our lake year after year. It's alway fun to see them come back. I got a distant shot of them today, but I'll wait to post a better one. They, too, are very hard to get close to. I spent the better part of last spring trying in vain to get a decent shot. Maybe blip will bring me luck this year.

I wouldn't be able to sneak up on anyone today. My back is a mess and I stuck an icy/hot patch on to ease the pain... Now I stink smell like eucalyptus. Guess I'll have to ditch the patch before any stealth bird stalking. Hopefully I will have a loon to show you soon. Or better yet a baby or two in a few weeks. :))