The black-bellied whistling duck.

Black-bellied whistling duck, photographed in Texas.

Imagine if we named our children the way ornithologists named birds.  It wouldn't be so bad with simple names like Robin, Jay, or Raven; these are common enough and wouldn't raise much of an eyebrow in response to their utterance.  However, in the bid to make specific monikers such as Yellow-bellied sapsucker and, as above, Black-bellied whistling duck, such a name would be somewhat ostentatious in nature.  

The general idea is to pick some distinguishing feature of the subject and use it as part of the title.  You'll notice that there are often two features named.  A child presenting with red hair and dimples might go by Ginger-haired-dimpleman.  Someone sporting conjoined 2nd and 3rd digit toes with a heart-shaped birthmark could be called Web-toed-cardiomark.  You get the idea.

The black-bellied whistling duck is found in the southern reaches of Texas, Arizona, and Florida.  Their numbers have been on the rise over the last few decades.  It is estimated that population growth will continue to increase as global warming produces more desirable habitats north of their existing range.

The "whistling" component of these birds is really a series of high pitched chirps and peeps which are most unduck-like.  If you want to hear what they sound like, go to this page, scroll down, and click on the appropriate links.

I photographed this by carefully moving until the early-morning sun was at my back.  Many of my best wildlife photos are obtained early in the morning when the elements are at favourable peaks.  This would include a low sun angle, no wind, and there being no one else about to disturb the wildlife.  I also try to approach my subjects with the sun at my back to reduce shadows.  This has proven to be an effective and reliable method.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com