Pictures from Local Parks [NSF56K]

[Akhlut]

These are some pictures from a few parks around where my wife and I live, after we got our new camera (a Nikon Coolpix100, as I recall). The shots are distributed pretty equally between us. I think a lot of them turned out really well.

[Mayabird]

Nice bird shots. Where there any others on the water aside from the mallards, gulls, Canada geese, and coots? What park was it, and why do parts of it look like a pine plantation? (And are those all pictures of the same cardinal or different ones?)

[Akhlut]

The cardinals are different ones who were about a mile apart or so. The waterfowl are all next to the Nelson Park docks at Lake Decatur in Macon Count IL. The only other waterfowl were feral domestic ducks. Occaisionally snow geese and other subraces of Canada goose show up, but rarely. There was an osprey on the eastern edge of the lake last fall, though. Tons of turkey vultures and retails in the region, though, with a smattering of kestrels.

The forest shots are from Rock Springs in the same area (maybe 5 miles away). The pines are planted, obviously, but I think the park bought the land and has kept it in as wild a state as it can be in.

[Mayabird]

Can't really make a pine plantation be wild without cutting down a lot of them to let in sunlight so an understory can grow and new trees can supplant the ones there. They just block too much light. Also it's easy for diseases to spread through the whole stand, which ends up letting in a lot of light once they all topple over dead. But it takes a while to make these plans and then resources to carry them out and parks services are usually lacking in the latter.

Anyway, were you planning to hit the parks again once the leaves come out? It'll soon be time for very pretty spring pictures.

[spaceviking]

Excuse my ignorance, what is the blue-orange bird near the top I do not think I have ever seen one like that before.

[Simplicius]

Looks like an Eastern Bluebird to me.

[Mayabird]

Yeah, male eastern bluebird.

For those who aren't ornithologically inclined, the birds, in order of appearance, are:
Northern cardinal (male)
Eastern bluebird
Cardinal again
Red-winged blackbird
American robin
THE POOPING SPAWN OF SATAN (aka Canada geese)
Goose and gulls (ring-billed gulls, I believe)
Female mallard
Gooses
Gulls
American coot
Mallard pair
Coots and goose
Gulls and coots
Coot
Goose

[Akhlut]

Goose and gulls (ring-billed gulls, I believe)

I originally thought they were herring gulls, but I zoomed in on the bills, and I think you're right. Oh well, I'm a lot more familiar with mammals than birds.

Can't really make a pine plantation be wild without cutting down a lot of them to let in sunlight so an understory can grow and new trees can supplant the ones there. They just block too much light. Also it's easy for diseases to spread through the whole stand, which ends up letting in a lot of light once they all topple over dead. But it takes a while to make these plans and then resources to carry them out and parks services are usually lacking in the latter.

Anyway, were you planning to hit the parks again once the leaves come out? It'll soon be time for very pretty spring pictures.

Yeah, the Conservation District that owns that park is spending its money on areas that are actually fairly wild rather then trying to deal with that single stand of pine (I think it's only about 2-3 acres in size).

But we're definitely going to visit those parks throughout the spring and summer and take a shitload of pictures.