Shore Birds in Two States

This is a pretty big post, I'm afraid. But I wanted to get all the photos in so I can submit this to I and the Bird with my sister's pics, too.

I spent Christmas in East Tennessee. Melton Hill Lake, an impoundment of the Clinch River, borders the east end of the city. There's rowing, a couple of nice restaurants, and walking trails. And birds. Lots of birds. These pictures were taken over a few days at the beginning of January, 2008.

Killdeer - a loud-voiced little shore bird

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron heading for dinner

Great Blue Heron after dinner (and after I fixed the shutter speed - my shot of him eating is way blurry... sigh)

Young Ring-billed Gull

Ring-billed Gull and mallards - check out the gull checking me out

A coot on the lake

Coots

A white Pekin (domestic mallard) and a domestic or 'manky' mallard

Domestic Muscovy and a mallard - check out that size difference!
And look at the claws on the Muscovy's feet.

Two domestic Muscovys, a mallard, and a coot

Domestic Muscovy and Pekin, with a coot
(this one reminds me of high school - that Muscovy looks like he spends time on his hair!)

A motley group of mallards, 'manky' and otherwise

Muscovy

Wild-type Muscovy preening

Wild-type Muscovy

And these are some gorgeous shots from my sister's late December trip on the St James River in Florida.

A tree full of White Ibises

Marsh Hen (Common Gallinule) - like their cousins the coots,
they have to run a good ways on the water before they can get airborne

Darter (Snakebird or Anhinga) and turtles

Sandhill cranes

Yellow-crowned Night Herons