Hungry coot

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Hungry coot

April 3, 2014 by Mike Powell

Thanks to some recent rains and a major wetland restoration project at my local marsh, we seem to have a lot more American Coots (Fulica americana) than last year. Most of the time they seem to like to keep their distance. This past Monday, though, one of them drifted toward an area relatively close to where I was standing and I managed to get this shot of the coot feeding on some of the vegetation growing out of the water.© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

Posted in Art, Birds, Nature, Photography, Portraits, spring, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, American Coot, Canon 50D, Canon 70-300mm telephoto zoom lens, coot, Fulica americana, Huntley Meadows Park | 9 Comments

9 Responses

on April 3, 2014 at 1:49 pm | Reply Lyle Krahn

That’s one of the most common birds in water around our area – after the snow melts.
- on April 3, 2014 at 7:33 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  I think I saw only a single one at my marsh last year. This year that are quite a few more, thanks to the higher water levels. When will the ice melt there, June?
  - on April 3, 2014 at 9:23 pm Lyle Krahn
    
    For years I used to licence my motorbike on April 12. Last year it was into May and it will be May this year too. A lot of people have been disappointed with gobal warming.
on April 3, 2014 at 7:49 pm | Reply Sue

It’s nice to hear that a landscape renovation may have made a difference in the wildlife inhabitants there. Also something to look forward to each year, as more species find this area.
- on April 4, 2014 at 3:05 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  It was a project that cost a few million dollars and was designed specifically to reverse the process by which the watery areas of the marsh were getting smaller. I don’t remember all of the details, but they wanted the park to be a hemi-marsh, a habitat for a large number of species.
on April 4, 2014 at 6:24 am | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

Interesting that water levels help determine which species will visit a wetland. I never knew that.
- on April 4, 2014 at 7:39 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Apparently that is the case. Part of the project involved digging areas of the pond so that the water would be deeper. In case you are interested, here’s a link to a discussion of what they actually did at the park and what they were hoping to accomplish. http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/huntley-meadows-park/restorationproject.htm
  - on April 4, 2014 at 10:52 am New Hampshire Garden Solutions
    
    Thanks Mike, that’s all really interesting. It’s the first time I’ve heard the term “loafing log” but it’s a perfect description. You’re very lucky to have access to such a place.
on April 5, 2014 at 5:39 pm | Reply nliakos

About 30 years ago my husband and I spent a week on a houseboat in the Berkeley (CA) marina. There were coots galore! Thye used to make a distinctive sound–it sounded like ‘PKKK’. Nice picture.