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From a fairly magical encounter, a close-up image of a Cooper’s I was very lucky to get close to. While I normally have a pretty high sense of my stalking abilities, this was pure luck. I happened upon the bird, in a moment of alertness (on both our parts), and had sufficient cover to secure images before retreating with the stealth I usually use for approaching birds. It stayed on its perch, none the wiser.

Tags:   Ottawa woodlands Coopers Hawk Épervier de Cooper Chance encounter

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Nest building Great Egrets

Tags:   Ardea alba Arizona Egret Eric Gofreed Photography Great Egret Lake Pleasant Sony A1 Sony Fe 200-600 Sony ILCE-1 Yavapai County copyright all rights reserved

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Black Skimmer
Rynchops niger

I was lucky to capture this speedster skimming for a meal at dusk. They are really fast!

Skimmers are unique in that their lower mandible is much longer than the upper. They fly with the former just in the water. If they feel a fish the bill snaps shut, and oftentimes the result is a tasty snack.

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Brevard County, Florida

Tags:   Black Skimmer Rynchops niger skimming fishing flying fast speedy wild bird wildlife Merritt Island National Refuge NWR water reflection mirror

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