Turnfest 2007 Day 2, Birds in the mist

On the second day of the symposium I awoke before dawn and was out on the golf course before sunrise. I wanted to see the black swans that hang out on the pond near the 16th hole. I didn't think about fog and that I wouldn't be able to see much until the sun burned away the mist. Oh well. It was a magic morning and I'm glad I was out there to see it all.





Mist actually makes a golf course look better. . .










especially as it wafts across the ponds.












My first glimpse of the black swan was this one as it was shrouded in mist.










A little bit of photo processing brings in some of the details.













I love the bright red beak with the stark white stripe across the end.










There were quite a few on the pond and several more on the grass.











As the sun rose higher in the sky and started to burn off the mist, the birds started to become more active. Here are three Willy Wagtails chasing one another in an elaborate aerial display.





I stood very still at the edge of the water so that the swans wouldn't be worried about me being there. I must have been successful because this beautiful Azure Kingfisher flew right past my knees and perched on a stick a few feet away from me. What a beautiful bird! We looked at one another for a minute or two before it started to work the edge of the pond.







As the sun hit the edge of the pond, this swan went into an interesting display. It had a low frequency bugle that reminded me of someone blowing air across a bottle top.








Ahhhh - that's the picture I was after. What a beautiful bird.










The black-fronted dotterel was a bonus bird for the morning,











as were these grey teals.














A good view of a little pied cormorant and
















another Willy wagtail. I like these birds - they're fun to watch.











Here's a good look at one of the field marks for the intermediate egret. The yellow pattern below the eye doesn't go past the eye, but stops mid-way. On the great egret the yellow extends well past the eye.







I always like to see egrets and herons in flight. They look so elegant.