Mastodawn

Ruddy Duck Bubble Display: This male ruddy in his fancy suit (breeding plumage) is showing off his courting skills- he inflates his neck and then beats his chest with his bill so that air is released from his feathers and forms bubbles in the water. In case the female ruddy is not sufficiently dazzled, he then releases some of that neck air in a belching display. I do wonder if many my human friends wish that such loud belching brought droves of women eager to mate. #duck #ruddyduck #pond #spring #matingseason #breedingplumage #bubbles #natgeo #natgeonature #ethicalwildlifephotography #birds #birding #wildlife #wildlifephotography #nature #naturephotography #Montana #Bigfork #waterbirds

Great Egret Breeding Plumage at the Ocean City Welcome Center

A stranger with binoculars pointed us to a way down to the egrets

Snowy Egret Perched at the Rookery in Breeding Plumage

A Snowy Egret holds its ground at the Ocean City rookery.

The Patient Observer: Greg Urbano’s “Showy Egret” and the Art of Coastal Intimacy

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Spotted Sandpiper at Lake Carnegie Dam

A brief intersection of local breeders and northern migrants, all passing through July together.

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A Snowy #Egret in high breeding plumage, demonstrated by the flowing white #feathers and crimson skin between its eyes.
#Birds in #BreedingPlumage may look differently than they usually do, but the additional ornamentation helps find a mate.
Get a print with this or another image at https://heronfox.pixels.com/featured/snowy-egret-in-high-breeding-plumage-2-heron-and-fox.html