Whatbird.com

This was the best find of the weekend.  though mottled ducks are synonymous with marshes along coastal La, they are not so common in central La, especially during the summer breeding season.  furthermore, a few weeks ago the body of water that this photo was taken in was 10 ft deeper.  the age of the ducklings is also a good sign that they will survive.  its difficult to tell which is the adult female, but she is the one in the very front of the pack.

Male summer tanger

thanks buddy, but i don't post photos because i think they are great photos, i know they are not.  no, i post them because sometimes i get a descent photo of an interesting bird that i think people would like to see, because it may not be common in their area. 

for me, i like to see other people's photos of species that i have never observed or have no or little experience with, even if the photos are lousy.  for me its not a 'best photo' contest, its about getting exposed to birds across the country or world that otherwise i would never get to see or learn about first hand (books can only do so much).

don't get me wrong, it does not hurt to have some people on the forum who should be proffesional photographers that post beautiful pics worthy to be in a Nat Geo magazine.  keep them comming.

P.S. - kimura is a personal friend of 11 yrs and he was with me when i took these photos.  might be why he likes them, these birds really put on a show for us.