More Ducks and Eagles

     When I left work yesterday morning I had intended to photograph the ducks that are hanging around my worksite, but the -12°F  temperature over the open water created an ice fog that lowered visibility to a couple of hundred feet.  With the poor lighting the only photos I took were of the rime ice that formed on the vegetation around the water. 

 Plan B was to go in early for my afternoon shift and take advantage of the better lighting and warmer temperatures that dissipated the fog.

Female Lesser Scaup

Canvasback

Bufflehead

Bald Eagle

Hooded Merganse

Common Goldeneye

   This afternoon temperatures warmed into the mid-20's, so I headed to Dingell Park in Ecorse to check out the ducks and eagles that are hanging around the open water. At one point there were 32 Bald Eagles on and around Mud Island.

   Of course close views of ducks and eagles are exciting but they don't get the adrenaline flowing like a couple of free-roaming pitbulls.

 I spotted them when they were on the ice about half a mile up the river.  I pointed them out to the two other birders that were also at the park.  One of the men said "I hope they don't come up here". I reassured him that it didn't look like there would be an easy way for them to get up from the ice to the waterfront observation area  because it seemed to be surrounded by dog-filtering railing.   Oops.  A couple of minutes later the two sons-of bitches were in the parking lot of the park and heading in our direction. The dogs had not yet noticed us, as we closed ranks.  I removed the monopod from my camera lens as I considered possible uses for it.  The dogs sniffed around the garbage cans and got within ten feet of us before noticing we were there.  Tension rose as brown dog started to growl and walk toward us.  I took the monopod, pointed it at him and in a calm assertive manner told him to "Get".  He listened. Then the two beasts meandered back up the river where they came from.

Dog and Cat Olympics

On your mark,.........Get set......

........Squirrel

Roscoe practicing for medal ceremony

Leo inspecting the luge run

Opponents exchange greetings

Greetings get a little too familiar 

With his back against the wall

Leo applies the kiss of death
        

 Leo getting his game face on

Battle begins

Setting him up

For the right cross

    Leo is a little disappointed he didn't get a shot at the stray dog problem in Sochi.

                                     

Mostly Work (but not always)

     Here are some  birds I've been able to photograph after work in the past few days.  Most were taken at my work site, others were taken on my way home from work.

Female Common Goldeneye

Female Common Merganser

Tree Sparrow

Not at work

Different faces

Wounded Eye

Horned Grebe at work

Extravmerganza

  By now everyone has heard about the devastating two-inch snowfall that created gridlock in Atlanta last week.  In neighboring Alabama the storm was equally intense.  Here at Mostly Birds (but not always) we are fortunate to have access to a free-lance correspondent in Auburn, Alabama,  who was able to send some photos of the disaster.  WARNING: These photos are tough to look at.  But you have to see it to believe it.
  As I understand it Auburn University courageously reopened just 3 days after the storm (and there wasn't even a football game), clearly a symbolic gesture as the roads were still impassible (as shown in the lower photo).  

Snow covering the roots of full-sized trees

Sure you can clear your driveway , but then what?

    The storm's impact has been blamed on......1) The National Weather Service even though the storm delivered exactly what was predicted. and 2) Lack of leadership of State and Local Governments whose members, for the most part, were elected for promising to cut government.  There are no easy answers here, to the magic Yankee dust that pulls your car off the road.