Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Ice Breaker II

This little flock of American Coots decided to move out onto the frozen lake after feeding on shore. There was some slipping and sliding involved and then somebody broke through the ice which set off a panic in the herd. I mean, heaven forbid a water bird break through the ice into WATER. Like gazelles that had just spotted a cheetah, they bolted and semi-ran away from the scary hole. There was a big show of high-steppin' and wing flappin'. After making it to the "safety" of open water (huh, go figure), calm was restored to the herd. Crazy coots.




























19 comments:

Kathy said...

These pics made me smile. I need to look up the origin of the phrase "old coot"!

Anonymous said...

THE WINNER OF THIS WEEKS ICE DANCING COMPETITION IIIS..... Couple #8,9,10,11

performing their "1 footed, double duck shoulder stand," followed by a nice dismount(9)... but wait what's this, a "reverse 1 footed, double duck shoulder stand"(10) and a final bow to their audience !(11)

BRAVO, BRAVO....10

TexWisGirl said...

your description and their big-footed antics made me laugh! thanks for that! :)

barbara l. hale said...

Lol. Good to see that they are as uncomfortable walking on ice as I am. But the panic at the open water is a hoot. Nice series!

Alan Pavey said...

Like that set Brian, nice one.

Mary Howell Cromer said...

Those Coots are wonderful, oh my how funny, bless their antics and bless you for sharing these! Each one is great, so delightful, the action is so comical! Great share, very much enjoyed this~

FAB said...

Super series Brian. Their feet may look ungainly but they sure know how to 'ice walk'.

eileeninmd said...

Wonderful collection of coot photos. They do have weird looking feet. Thanks for sharing.

mick said...

Great photos and interesting description and capture of all the action.

theconstantwalker said...

A wonderful series of images Brian.. they really set the ice skating scene. Lovely birds to see.

Tatjana Parkacheva said...

Very good captures :)

Regards and best wishes

Leenie said...

Skating coots. That's hilarious!

Tammy said...

Great photos; that must have been so funny to watch!! The photos made me laugh. A little different from the Coot scene here:)

Gillian Olson said...

These pictures are hilarious. Thank you.

joo said...

I love Coots, and your photos are superb!

Anonymous said...

Great series of photos! Looks like at the end everyone had calmed down.

Alyssa Johnson said...

Very funny! I love Coots, I think they are my favorite waterbird!

Larry said...

Terrific photos-especially of the running shots.Great capture of the feet too.I'm not much at photography but know that it can be tough to get the right lighting and whatnot to show that kind of detail on the coots including the eyes!

LB @ Bullets And Biscuits said...

My gawd! It looks like a new dance they've come up with...is this where you've been getting your moves from?