Believe it or not, my aimless wanderings looking for wildlife to photograph are not always successful.
I usually need a fall-back plan when I’ve given up waiting for a polar bear to get hopelessly lost and show up in my neighbourhood.
Thankfully, there are a lot of ducks where we live, so of course this means I end up watching a lot of ducks! It’s funny how the familiar can seem mundane and sometimes hides the obvious.
I kept seeing ducks itching away this summer and it raised some thot-provoking questions.
Why were the ducks so itchy?
When a duck moves a webbed foot up to itch its bill, was the bill or the web foot itchy?
It was only after summer was over that the thought finally struck me. Maybe the ducks weren’t itchy at all. Perhaps I had been missing some secret signals, messages like, “See that photographer at 2 o’clock? In three seconds we’ll take off to ruin his shot.”
I can’t believe I was so naïve!
Krahnpix 
Thought this was a shoveler duck & checked out a couple pics at this site that you may want to look at. (You’ve probably seen or been sent 100s by now) http://www.clarkvision.com/galleries/gallery.all/index.html Another 30 years & some ducks may be a rare sight (like pintails). Thought your picture of 2 mule deer (doe & youngster) turned inward & looking back at you like mirror images was excellent. The chances of getting that exact pose must be extremely rare.
(guys like me out hunting seem to have the effect of making white tail deer make a hasty retreat when a human stops to look at them – esp. in Nov.) Terry Brugger
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Lots of great photos on that site that you sent – hadn’t been there before. Hopefully the different duck species survive but who knows. It’s nice to see so many different kinds now.
The two mule deer looking back at me was one of those fortunate two-second timeframes when everything aligned – I was so happy the camera settings worked because I don’t expect to see that again. I was just trying to walk away from them so I could get an unobstructed view. They watched me and the angles all worked out like I staged it. It’s a lot of fun when it all comes together especially since so many times it doesn’t work or the animals don’t even show up! It would help if I had your knowledge of animal behaviour.
I imagine that guys like you can keep the deer in running order especially in November!
Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
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Your stories/interpretations are fabulous, Lyle. Definitely post as soon as you get that polar bear – actually, although I don’t recall where you are, those guys will soon have to find new stomping grounds if all indications of the polar region’s status are correct. You may see one yet!
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Glad you like them. If I see a polar bear you will most definitely hear about it but it won’t happen within many hundreds of miles of where we live or we’re all in real trouble.
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Cool. Northern Shovelers!
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Thanks
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You really have smart aleck ducks with some serious attitude issues.
Sounds like a lot birds we have around here. 😀
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And you’d never know it watching them swim peacefully around a pond
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great shots, really sharp and nice to see the ducks doing something different. Looks like a lovely area to go to shoot some photos.
Cheers Callie
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It’s better to find the unusual about a very familiar subject and good things happen when I wait. Glad you like them.
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Good to see you have patients,good things come to those that wait.
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Maybe its more accurate to say that I’m developing some patience – there’s still room to improve!!
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yes I have a problem in that area.I love lizards they stay still.
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Your wit and great photography always leave a smile on my face. Thank You!
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Glad to hear that you enjoy my sense of humour – getting a smile is pretty high praise.
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Thanks for the smile! Nice pictures.
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Always happy to hear that I helped someone smile – great use of face muscles.
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It’s nice to start the day with a laugh (and with some cool photos). Let me know if you ever manage to decipher the duck signals–it would save me a lot of potential frustration and you would be even more famous.
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Glad you found it funny. I’m afraid whatever signals they have are safe with them. I’m constantly surprised by the inconsistent behaviour. So no need to worry about the famous part.
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Nice reflections in your pictures today.
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Thanks – I hadn’t really focused on them.
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