ML620110729

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Originally found by Naturalist Wade LaHue on Monday. Seen every day since. On the lake behind the Nature Center (38.7401426, -86.414226). It is easily viewable from behind the Nature Center aka Lakeview Activity Center. Get on the one way road, continue past the road on left that goes to the Inn, past the road on right that goes to Twin Caves, down a big hill then take a right after the stone bridge. I viewed from the concrete patio behind the nature center, in the shade, next to the picnic tables but there is also a wooden dock on the lake to get closer. It is also visible from inside the air-conditioned Nature Center (during normal hours). Indoor and outdoor viewing locations are accessible for wheelchairs. The bird has been roosting on the large snag on the opposite side of the lake from the dock, just left of the dock. I watched it catch a large fish (7-8 inches) after it did a bunch of fights up and down the lake, including flying right over the dock! It was aware of people hiking the trail behind its snag perch, and looked at them but did not flush. Staff said it has been perching right on the dock sometimes. It seems like a healthy bird, it’s been preening, it flies great. Second state record and what a surprising location! If you see the finder (Naturalist Wade LaHue) give him props! Description of the bird: Large, slender waterbird, solid brown above, long wings but tail is longer than folded primaries when perched. Neck brown, breast and belly a lighter shade of brown. Legs and feet yellow, feet large and webbed. Bill large, thick at the base, pointed at the tip, solidly light blue. Eye blue. Thin white line over the top of the bill. Gular pouch pale yellow. When I arrived it flew in from area unknown, banked over the dock area, and landed on a large snag leaning over the water across from the Nature Center. In flight it was huge with long, slender, pointed wings, white underwings, and uniformly dark above. It continued to perch and preen on the snag, then took a nap. Its eyelids are blue. It seemed to behave normally while I observed it. It flew well, preened feathers that were in decent condition, and took several big healthy poops. It was interesting how closely it would watch cottonwood fluff and insects that were flying around it. It would turn its head to track the dragonflies, pointing its bill directly at them. When it foraged, it made shallow-angled dives into the water, going completely under the water. When it caught the large fish, it emerged with the fish tail sticking out of its bill, took flight, and gulped the fish down as it continued to fly. Then it landed back on the horizontal snag it favors, (a large dead tree leaning out over the water).

Technical information

Model

iPhone 11

Lens

iPhone 11 back dual wide camera 4.25mm f/1.8

ISO

32

Focal length

4.3 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/1.8

Shutter speed

1/122 sec

Dimensions

2787 pixels x 3716 pixels

Original file size

1.48 MB