Avoiding the Firing Squad
The Ruddy Duck is an exotic species from the Americas that has “escaped” from private collections into Europe and has interbred with some rare species of duck and is now more often seen through the cross-hairs of a rifle sight rather than a camera lens.
In the UK this duck was the subject of an extensive cull in the nineties and unfortunately it is also allowed to shoot this very cute duck here in Friesland. This particular duck was seen on a nature reserve somewhere in Friesland 😉 where I’d like to believe that it is safe…at least for now…
It always seems to me that nature has to pay for mankinds’ pathetic mistakes…Grey Squirrels, Signal Crayfish and Rose-Ringed Parakeets are somehow allowed to live at the expense of indigenous species while ruddy ducks have to be exterminated…not to mention that ridiculous badger cull in the UK…
Seriously, these people act like they are God but when it all goes wrong their only way to accept responsibility for their actions is to cull the entire species… 😦
Memory Eclipse
Mostly I’m completely aware of the photographs I take, though I can’t quite remember taking this one of a Wigeon in eclipse plumage, which was a pleasant surprise after I uploaded the days images to my pc… I know there were several species of duck that I was attempting to photograph but I just don’t recall this Wigeon… 😕
Sunny Side Up
After the recent post displaying shovelers on a cloudy day, I only thought it was fair to add one of a shoveler with some sun and colour in this late burst of summer we have been experiencing the last couple of weeks. 😉
Dawn Patrol
It was the third consecutive episode of “Dawn Patrol” this year, the previous two episodes had left some wear and tear leading to a general lack of enthusiasm by the third day.
The weather report had predicted frost and mist which, despite my sluggish lateness, fueled my curiosity and enthusiasm to actually attend this event….it was cold though, there was frost adorning the rows of freshly cut grass, the sounds and sights could deceive you into thinking it was a summer dawn…yet I was longing for a pair of gloves!
It is also interesting to note that I was an hour later than on the previous two mornings….so if I was “on time” I would have missed these exact views…so by being “late” I was in fact just in time. 😉
Out of Service
The title is a translation for the status sign on the bus which just brought the geese, swans and ducks back home after a long day out on the town… 😉
Sitting and Waiting
Twenty two years ago I spent a short time living on the street in Amsterdam…in this time I used to work the hat for a busker…
This meant that I used to acquire an empty KFC cola container and as she played her guitar and sang variations of popular songs, I would stand between the passers by jangling the coins in the cup and hassle them for “money for music”…she had an interesting version of “Can’t Buy Me Love” from the Beatles, which was amusing as in the lyrics she revealed that she didn’t care at all about the currency that we were working for through the act of busking.
She was experienced and very streetwise, I was a novice who had the good fortune to learn from her experience. I will never forget one of her observations which went ~ “Sit still long enough, a little bird will land on you”~. This was meant metaphorically to illustrate when you get into the situation when you, for example, can’t find your next meal , just sit down and eventually someone will come to you.
Recently I am reminded of her words as I take time off to stop actively searching for photo opportunities and just sit and wait and lo and behold the birds will appear…
a heartical view 