Lake Davis Scores Redhead Again

I was heading home from a long day after banding (see previous post) and wanted to just go home. Right. I had to swing around Lake Davis this afternoon to see if anything was around. It has been very quiet there lately but you never know. I turned onto the drive and in about 3 seconds said aloud, "Redhead!". The light was right and, even at a distance, one could not miss that glowing sheen. He brought his lady friend along with him, too.



I could tell he spotted me as I parked and got out of the van. I moved slowly and only moved closer when he dove under water. Once he was submerged, I walked a few feet closer and waited for a better shot. Weird thing was that an American Coot began to walk straight toward me. Dig those feet!



Coots don't usually do this. They are rather skittish even in large numbers in the local lakes. I have no idea why these couple of birds walked toward me unless they are becoming acclimated to being fed along with the local ducks. Again, I love those feet. So weird to see them on land.



I got closer to the Redhead pair and the female was not sure what to make of me.



Another nice surprise, a Common Gallinule decided I was no threat and walked right over to me just like the Coots. Both of those birds are hard to get exposed correctly with their blacks, whites, and reds. Today was a nice score of both species.



The male Redhead surfaced agan fairly close and I got one more decent shot before he decided to head back to the center of the lake. Later in the evening, I headed home and saw both birds still feeding in the same area of the lake.



I wanted a shower more than anything after a 12-hour day, but who cannot stop for an encounter like that?

The Great Backyard Bird Count for 2013 is February 15-18th.
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