avian

Hooded Merganser Competition for a Nest Box /  by Todd Henson

An early spring female hooded merganser swimming in the wetlands

Perhaps competition is a strong word. Perhaps there were simply two candidates inspecting the property before they decided whether to move in. What am I talking about? During a visit to a wetlands park we happened to see two female hooded mergansers around the same nest box in early spring.

Arriving at the nest box

The female hooded merganser perched on the nest box

Early on one of the mergansers flew up and perched atop the box, perhaps thinking to stake her claim. But then the second merganser flew over and was bold enough to stick her head into the opening to inspect the nesting area before flying off again.

A second female hooded merganser flies up to the nest box while the other is perched on top

The second merganser peeked into the nest box while the other watched from above

Later, the original merganser sat down atop the box and just rested for a while. It seemed she might be staking her claim, but eventually she also flew off.

The original female hooded merganser rests atop the nest box.

Finally the original female hooded merganser left the nest box and flew away.

In the end I’ve no clue which of two, if either, will build a nest inside the box. But it would be nice to return to check on any progress.

In a previous year we happened to be there at the time the hooded merganser chicks fledged from the nest. That was a fun sight.

And on another day I was fortunate to watch the slightly older hooded merganser chicks out with their mother.

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Red-winged Blackbird - Late March, 2024 /  by Todd Henson

Portrait of a male red-winged blackbird in late March of 2024

In late March my father and I returned to a local wetlands park we’d not visited in some time. While there I photographed a nicely posed red-winged blackbird.

This is a good example of how male red-winged blackbirds are able to hide the majority of their red epaulets when they want to, covering them with black feathers. They might display more red when trying to impress a female blackbird, or when they want to show dominance over other nearby males, perhaps as a way of marking their territory and willingness to protect it. 

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Silhouettes in Nature /  by Todd Henson

I’m not certain if I’ve experimented with, or shown, photographic silhouettes before. Something prompted me to try it with these two photos, and so here you are, two examples of silhouettes in nature.

Caroline wren in silhouette

When I first photographed these birds I wasn’t thinking about creating silhouettes from them. I simply didn’t think enough about the exposure with these strongly backlit subjects, which resulted in a fair bit of underexposure. I suppose that’s what sparked the idea of silhouettes.

Song sparrow in silhouette

I increased the contrast in post, darkening the darks and lightening the lights. As simple as this is, I enjoyed it and I could see myself trying this again, either with photos already in my library or actively seeking to create these in the field.

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