Winged Wednesday, New Year Edition 1.1.2025

[Eric Gofreed]

Happy New Year!
May 2025 bring you boundless opportunities and countless moments to capture the beauty of the world. Here's to another year of Winged Wednesdays! What better way to celebrate the first day of the new year than by spotlighting birds in flight? Their graceful ascents and determined journeys mirror the hopes and goals we set for ourselves. Let the wings of inspiration carry us into a year filled with wonder, adventure, and endless skies to explore!

Atlantic Puffin, Machias Seal Island, Maine. Owned jointly by the United States and Canada

Ringed Kingfisher, Pantanal, Brazil

Osprey with striped bass, Lake Pleasant, Arizona

Black-collard Hawk, Pantanal, Brazil

Wattled Jacana, Pantanal, Brazil

Hyacinth Macaw leaving his nest, Pantanal, Brazil

 

[AlanLichty]

Wow - a good reminder of how far I need to go to even come close to results like you show in these images. I love the Osprey shot with lunch and the Hyacinth Macaw color show.

 

[Eric Gofreed]

Wow - a good reminder of how far I need to go to even come close to results like you show in these images. I love the Osprey shot with lunch and the Hyacinth Macaw color show.

Thanks, Alan

 

[AlanLichty]

It may have been the last day of the year but it was the first day for me with a new lens (RF100-500 f/4.5-7.1 L) that FedEx brought me yesterday. I decided to try it out right away and the Anna's hummingbirds that hang out around our house were active. Dark gray skies so fast exposures meant ISO 6400 but the captures cleaned up nicely in post.

First shot of the day - there is almost always a hummer in one of the trees I can see from the deck:

Another angle:

I wandered out back to see if I could catch one at the feeder there.

A different one landed on the feeder a few moments later but kept watching me since I was just standing about 15' away in the open. Finally he decided to leave and gave me the stink-eye as he took off. He buzzed me as he left so I guess I wasn't exactly welcome.

The new lens is definitely a keeper

 

[Trent Watts]

Happy New Year!
May 2025 bring you boundless opportunities and countless moments to capture the beauty of the world. Here's to another year of Winged Wednesdays! What better way to celebrate the first day of the new year than by spotlighting birds in flight? Their graceful ascents and determined journeys mirror the hopes and goals we set for ourselves. Let the wings of inspiration carry us into a year filled with wonder, adventure, and endless skies to explore!


View attachment 78240
Atlantic Puffin, Machias Seal Island, Maine. Owned jointly by the United States and Canada


View attachment 78244
Ringed Kingfisher, Pantanal, Brazil

View attachment 78243
Osprey with striped bass, Lake Pleasant, Arizona

View attachment 78241
Black-collard Hawk, Pantanal, Brazil

View attachment 78245
Wattled Jacana, Pantanal, Brazil

View attachment 78242
Hyacinth Macaw leaving his nest, Pantanal, Brazil

Great way to start the new year Eric. I love your intro. I have a pic of an Osprey with a fish from behind and a long way off. Yours is just spectacular.

 

[Trent Watts]

It may have been the last day of the year but it was the first day for me with a new lens (RF100-500 f/4.5-7.1 L) that FedEx brought me yesterday. I decided to try it out right away and the Anna's hummingbirds that hang out around our house were active. Dark gray skies so fast exposures meant ISO 6400 but the captures cleaned up nicely in post.

First shot of the day - there is almost always a hummer in one of the trees I can see from the deck:

View attachment 78268

Another angle:

View attachment 78269

I wandered out back to see if I could catch one at the feeder there.

View attachment 78270

A different one landed on the feeder a few moments later but kept watching me since I was just standing about 15' away in the open. Finally he decided to leave and gave me the stink-eye as he took off. He buzzed me as he left so I guess I wasn't exactly welcome.

View attachment 78271

The new lens is definitely a keeper

Boy that lens found the right guy to get some wonderful shots. Great job Alan. I'll be waiting to see move of these.

 

[Trent Watts]

Happy New Year to all. I have a few birds in flight to share on this first day of 2025.

American Avocets gathering in the fall ready for migration at Last Mountain Lake in Saskatchewan. Seen in non-breeding colour.

Same species in summer with breeding colour. I think this is a female with the shorter more upcurved bill.

Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker in a local park. These hardy birds can stay around all year. We saw three on the Boxing Day bird count.

A Paddle-tailed Darner flying over my daughter's pond in Slocan, B.C.

Whooping cranes from my trip this fall to their resting and eating area on route to wintering grounds in the U.S.

An American White Pelican in Saskatoon.

A Bumblee Bee at a flower in my yard.

 

[AlanLichty]

Happy New Year to all. I have a few birds in flight to share on this first day of 2025.

American Avocets gathering in the fall ready for migration at Last Mountain Lake in Saskatchewan. Seen in non-breeding colour.
View attachment 78279

Same species in summer with breeding colour. I think this is a female with the shorter more upcurved bill.
View attachment 78275

Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker in a local park. These hardy birds can stay around all year. We saw three on the Boxing Day bird count.
View attachment 78276

A Paddle-tailed Darner flying over my daughter's pond in Slocan, B.C.
View attachment 78277

Whooping cranes from my trip this fall to their resting and eating area on route to wintering grounds in the U.S.
View attachment 78278

An American White Pelican in Saskatoon.


View attachment 78280

A Bumblee Bee at a flower in my yard.
View attachment 78281

Neat shots Trent - I like the birds in flight but the bee in flight steals the show.

 

[Eric Gofreed]

It may have been the last day of the year but it was the first day for me with a new lens (RF100-500 f/4.5-7.1 L) that FedEx brought me yesterday. I decided to try it out right away and the Anna's hummingbirds that hang out around our house were active. Dark gray skies so fast exposures meant ISO 6400 but the captures cleaned up nicely in post.

First shot of the day - there is almost always a hummer in one of the trees I can see from the deck:

View attachment 78268

Another angle:

View attachment 78269

I wandered out back to see if I could catch one at the feeder there.

View attachment 78270

A different one landed on the feeder a few moments later but kept watching me since I was just standing about 15' away in the open. Finally he decided to leave and gave me the stink-eye as he took off. He buzzed me as he left so I guess I wasn't exactly welcome.

View attachment 78271

The new lens is definitely a keeper

Kudos on the new lens —great photos of the Annas. To get great perched shots, place interesting perches or flowers near the feeder.

 

[Eric Gofreed]

Happy New Year to all. I have a few birds in flight to share on this first day of 2025.

American Avocets gathering in the fall ready for migration at Last Mountain Lake in Saskatchewan. Seen in non-breeding colour.
View attachment 78279

Same species in summer with breeding colour. I think this is a female with the shorter more upcurved bill.
View attachment 78275

Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker in a local park. These hardy birds can stay around all year. We saw three on the Boxing Day bird count.
View attachment 78276

A Paddle-tailed Darner flying over my daughter's pond in Slocan, B.C.
View attachment 78277

Whooping cranes from my trip this fall to their resting and eating area on route to wintering grounds in the U.S.
View attachment 78278

An American White Pelican in Saskatoon.


View attachment 78280

A Bumblee Bee at a flower in my yard.
View attachment 78281

Terrific work as expected, Trent. I have seen Whooping cranes at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas, but I have never photographed them. 100 thumbs up!!!

 

[Kyle Jones]

An airborne eagle captured yesterday...

 

[larryj]

A couple of Snowy Egrets having different variations on a bad hail day!

 

[Alan Milnes]

Amazing images Eric. Love the puffin!
Alan