31 Days of My Best of 2014

December 28, 2014

White Pelican

White Pelican - III

And, now number three, the White Pelican; photo taken at Lake Cochise in Southeastern Arizona:

White Pelican

White Pelican - II

Here is the second of my "5" Star White Pelican Photos, this one taken in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming:

White Pelican

White Pelican - I

I also have three "5" Star White Pelican photos. Unlike the Brown Pelican which prefers coastal waters, the White Pelican can be found in every state west of the Missouri River during migration. This photo was taken at Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge in Wyoming:

White Pelican

Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge - Part III

White Pelicans from Seedskadee:

White Pelican

White Pelican

Three Pairs

Of course, not all husbands and wives can be identified easy as male or female. Nonetheless, here are three pairs: Swans, Geese, Pelicans:

Tundra Swan

White Fronted Goose

White Pelican

National Wildlife Refuges

Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, Washington, 1944

Columbia Refuge, established by Congress in 1944,  is a scenic mixture of rugged cliffs, canyons, lakes, and sagebrush grasslands. Formed by fire, ice, floods, and volcanic tempest, carved by periods of extreme violence of natural forces, the refuge lies in the middle of the Drumheller Channeled Scablands of central Washington -- locally referred to as "The Potholes."  The area reveals a rich geologic history highlighted by periods of dramatic activity, each playing a major role in shaping the land. The northern half of the refuge, south of Potholes Reservoir, is a rugged jumble of cliffs, canyons, lakes, and remnants of lava flows. This part of the Scablands, known as the Drumheller Channels, is the most spectacularly eroded area of its size in the world and was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1986.

The favorable mixture of lakes and surrounding irrigated croplands, combined with generally mild winters and protection provided by the refuge, attracts large numbers of migrating and wintering mallard ducks, Canada geese, and other waterfowl, including tundra swans.

Black Necked Stilts

Great Egret

Horned Lark

Killdeer

Lesser Scaup

Redhead Duck

Ring Necked Duck

Canada Geese and Sandhill Cranes

Sandhill Cranes

White Pelicans

White Pelicans

National Wildlife Refuges

National Wildlife Refuge is a designation for protected areas managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.  The National Wildlife Refuge System is the world's premiere system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America's fish, wildlife and plants. It was the idea of President Teddy Roosevelt (My Hero) in 1903 by executive order. By 1908 he had gotten Congress to agree to establish a System. The System has grown to more than 150 million acres in 555 national wildlife refuges. 

National Wildlife Refuges manage a full range of habitat types, including wetlands; prairies; coastal and marine areas; and temperate, tundra and boreal forests. The management of each habitat is a complex web of controlling or eradicating invasive species, using fire in a prescribed manner, assuring adequate water resources, and assessing external threats like development or contamination. Many of the Refuges have "Visitor's Center's" and many do not.

These refuges are home to some 700 species of birds, 220 species of mammals, 250 reptile and amphibian species and more than 200 species of fish. Many of the National Wildlife Refuges have been established with the primary purpose of conserving 280 threatened or endangered species.

First UP: Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado, 1967

Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1967 to furnish waterfowl with a suitable place to nest and rear their young. It is located in an intermountain glacial basin south of Walden, county seat of Jackson County, Colorado. The thriving metropolis of Walden has but one restaurant. It is so small the best they can do is a Motel 3. (hee, hee)

The basin is approximately 35 miles wide and 45 miles long. It is the northernmost of four such "parks" in Colorado and is known locally as North Park. North Park opens north into Wyoming and is rimmed on the west by the Park Range, on the south by the Rabbit Ears Mountains, on the southeast by the Never-Summer Range, and on the east and northeast by the Medicine Bow Range. Numerous slow, meandering streams are interspersed on the basin floor and eventually come together to form the headwaters of the North Platte River. Most of the flood plain along the streams is irrigated meadow, while the low rises adjacent to the flood plain and the higher rises on the refuge are characterized by sagebrush grasslands. 

I go to Jackson County primarily looking for Moose. And, Arapaho NWR has been lucky for me. First, a waterfowl photo of White Pelicans, then some Moose photos:

White Pelicans

Bull Moose along the Illinois River

Bull Moose

Bull Moose Walking toward food

Bull Moose Resting

Bull Moose Eating

Fine Art Wildlife Photography????

Fine Art Photography is in a completely different category of its own. I'll always remember a guest from Switzerland who stayed with us during the 2006 World Cup Soccer Games. Although a soccer fan, he was here working on a photo book with a working title of "The Ends of the Earth." He was in Southern Arizona to photograph Ghost Towns. To him, angles, composition, and lighting were key. When I checked out his website there were some absolutely amazing photographs of objects that I would have never thought to photograph.  With Fine Art photography, the photographer has to have an "eye" for seeing something others don't see. 

Side Note: The day he left, Switzerland was in the final. His plane didn't leave until late so we watched the game together in my office. (Other guests were arriving in his room that day). The match took five hours with the final score being 0-0 with Switzerland losing in a shootout after two overtime periods where neither team scored. I am sure there were people who found that game exciting. Switzerland was the only team in the tournament not to have conceded a goal during regulation time in any of their matches, yet still lost.

Okay, back to photography. I don't know whether there is such a thing as Fine Art Wildlife Photography. However, from time to time a wildlife photograph looks like art -- at least to me. Something about them, color, flowers, soft focus, that makes them look like paintings. Here are some examples:

Brewers Blackbird taken in Glacier National Park

Common Merganser taken on East Lake, Oregon

Harrier Hawk taken in Northeastern Oregon

House Finch taken here at the Azure Gate on a Mesquite Tree

Lesser Goldfinch taken here at the Azure Gate on a Pomegranate Tree

Anna's Hummingbird taken here at the Azure Gate

Anna's Hummingbird taken in Ash Canyon, Arizona

White Pelican taken on the Yellowstone River in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

White Pelican

Growing up on the East Coast, I thought Pelicans were Sea Birds found in Florida. When we moved to Seattle back in 1984 I had no reason to doubt that until I was in the desert of Central Washington and found a dozen or so on a small pond in "The Potholes." Now, of course I realize that they are migratory birds, and can be found in much of the interior Central and Western US during the summer months. They move to the Southern Coasts of the US and Mexico in the winter. The White Pelican is a very large and plump bird; its overall length is about 62 inches with a wingspan of 108 inches. It's weight is 16 1/2 pounds so it is a fairly good size bird. It's plumage is almost entirely bright white, except for black on the underside of its' wings. The black is only visible in flight or when the wings are extended. The White Pelican's bill is long and flat, with a large throat sac.  Unlike the Brown Pelican, it does not dive for food. Instead it catches its prey while swimming. Each bird eats more than 4 pounds of food a day (mostly fish). The only limerick I can remember is this one:

A wonderful bird in the Pelican

His break can hold more than his belican

He can take in his beak

Enough food for a week

And I'm dammed if I know how the helican

White Pelican with Double Crested Cormorant

photo taken at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

White Pelican

photo taken in Central Washington

White Pelican

photo taken in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

White Pelican

photo taken at Fig Lagoon, California

White Pelican, American Avocet, Black Necked Stilt

photo taken at Cochise Lake, Arizona

Lake Cochise - Part II

Lake Cochise is a very shallow lake; I would guess about 30 acres situated in the middle of the desert. Although its size varies by season, there is always water. Here are some of the larger visitors:

Cattle Egret

Snowy Egret

Great Blue Heron

Black Crown Night Heron

White Pelican

(American Avocet & Black Neck Stilt)