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Archive 2020 · Dance of Joy

AGeoJO
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Dance of Joy

This male hooded merganser caught a crayfish early in the morning. He struggled to subdue and swallow the prey. Although I started out at a spot where I could get close to the water surface but during the struggle, he drifted further and further away from my location to my chagrin. So, I grabbed my gear and I moved to a closer spot to capture the action further. But the bank there was a little high, higher than when the action started earlier. I didn't want to loose the opportunity to capture the action nd just kept on shooting at the "higher" position. Oh, well.

Right after he swallowed the crayfish, he flicked the water with the tip of his beak and started "dancing". Well, maybe he was only taking a bath but his joy was definitely palpable. At the end, he flapped his wings, tucked them back in and swam away... contentedly, I must say.

FYI, I posted some hooded merganser vs crayfish images previously. This set now was captured at the same location but on a different day and this one shows more what the merganser did afterwards.

Please feel free to leave any feedback and thank you very much for looking,
Joshua

Edit: adding numbering to the images - sorry, I forgot to do that earlier.


	© AGeoJO 2020

#1 - Breakfast time!


	© AGeoJO 2020

#2 - Struggling to swallow the crayfish

#3 - The water flick


	© AGeoJO 2020

#4 - Let's the joy started


	© AGeoJO 2020


	© AGeoJO 2020


	© AGeoJO 2020


	© AGeoJO 2020

#9 - What a way to start the morning!

Edited on Jul 18, 2020 at 05:19 PM · View previous versions

Jul 18, 2020 at 09:57 AM

morris
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Dance of Joy

Excellent set with these tricky to expose birds Joshua

Morris

Jul 18, 2020 at 10:24 AM

OwlsEyes
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Dance of Joy

These are amazing... Your perspective on the bird is just perfect.
Every time I see these birds swallow a crayfish, I can help but wonder how their digestive system manages to break those shells down... one of the endless wonders of nature.

great work.
bruce

Jul 18, 2020 at 11:44 AM

AGeoJO
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Dance of Joy

morris wrote:
Excellent set with these tricky to expose birds Joshua

Morris

Thank you very much, Morris!

OwlsEyes wrote:
These are amazing... Your perspective on the bird is just perfect.
Every time I see these birds swallow a crayfish, I can help but wonder how their digestive system manages to break those shells down... one of the endless wonders of nature.

great work.
bruce

Thank you very much, Bruce. You know, I was wondering that myself. The only body parts that they remove are the pinchers. The hard shell there would be probably too hard for the enzyme in their digestive system to break down. The body, including the head of the crayfish seems to be thinner; hence the translucent appearance in #1.

Jul 18, 2020 at 12:21 PM

roadapple
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Dance of Joy

Stunning set of photos ! Love the victory stand at the end .

Jul 18, 2020 at 12:58 PM

AGeoJO
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Dance of Joy

roadapple wrote:
Stunning set of photos ! Love the victory stand at the end .

Thank you very much, Tom!

Jul 18, 2020 at 01:26 PM

louie champan
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Dance of Joy

Absolutely amazing work Joshua and at that high of an ISO. Well done.

Jul 18, 2020 at 01:29 PM

birdied
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Dance of Joy

Wow, Joshua !!! Another truly amazing set .

His actions after swallowing the crawfish are really enjoyable.

Birdie

Jul 18, 2020 at 01:33 PM

OwlsEyes
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Dance of Joy

AGeoJO wrote:
Thank you very much, Morris!

Thank you very much, Bruce. You know, I was wondering that myself. The only body parts that they remove are the pinchers. The hard shell there would be probably too hard for the enzyme in their digestive system to break down. The body, including the head of the crayfish seems to be thinner; hence the translucent appearance in #1.

I've taught crayfish anatomy to probably 1000+ students over the years, and when they molt they actually reabsorb some of the shell's calcium carbonate. As a result, the new shell following the molt is rather soft. Furthermore, calcium carbonate becomes calcium and carbon dioxide when mixed with acid. I guess the real problem is swallowing the hard object so that it can get into the stomach...
If their is food/energy to be had, evolution always seems to find a way to access it

cheers,
bruce

Jul 18, 2020 at 02:44 PM

torobouk
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Dance of Joy

Very beautiful set Joshua, nice colors and creamy background, perfect job !

Jul 18, 2020 at 04:13 PM

NonDecaf
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Dance of Joy

Amazing shots! Is that pollen in shots #2,3?

Jul 18, 2020 at 04:49 PM

arbitrage
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Dance of Joy

Great shots Joshua. The hoodies are always a hoot to watch.

TFS
Geoff

Jul 18, 2020 at 05:05 PM

AGeoJO
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Dance of Joy

torobouk wrote:
Very beautiful set Joshua, nice colors and creamy background, perfect job !

Thank you very much, Gerard!

NonDecaf wrote:
Amazing shots! Is that pollen in shots #2,3?

Thank you very much! Are you referring to the light-colored spots? Those are droplets from water splashes.

arbitrage wrote:
Great shots Joshua. The hoodies are always a hoot to watch.

TFS
Geoff

Thank you very much, Geoff! And yes, they are.

Jul 18, 2020 at 05:29 PM

csinseattle
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Dance of Joy

Joshua, great shots and sequence, you didn't get the original angle, but you still got some shots, well done.

Chris S.

Jul 18, 2020 at 05:49 PM

dclark
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Dance of Joy

Excellent sequence of images!
If I swallowed one of those crayfish whole I would be dancing around too, although it might not be a dance of joy.

Dave

Jul 18, 2020 at 06:18 PM

kmunroe
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Dance of Joy

excellent images Joshua

Jul 18, 2020 at 08:53 PM

dallvr
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Dance of Joy

These are great, Joshua, terrific behavioral sequence! I think #1 is very beautiful with the translucent crayfish. And the reflection.

Jul 18, 2020 at 09:12 PM

kdacharya
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Dance of Joy

beautifully captured, Joshua. really cannot say anything, but praise. V

Jul 18, 2020 at 10:53 PM

Ronny Olsson
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Dance of Joy

Really nice set Joshua
The colors are great and excellent images

Ronny //

Jul 19, 2020 at 12:00 AM

dalite
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Dance of Joy

Just excellent. Crunch time. Looks like those high ISO settings worked veery well for you.

Jul 19, 2020 at 12:10 AM

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