I had some fun pictures of the American Coots at the Circle B Bar Reserve this Sunday. So here’s a special coot-only post…

I caught the coot below flapping his wings as he reached into the water for a breakfast bite. Look at those big white feet! I always have to laugh when I see coots’ feet. Too bad the plant on the water surface hides the reflection of the eye in the water…

I really enjoy trying to photograph the coots as they run across the water surface. A single duck will startle and take off, and then the rest of the flock usually follows, one by one. It’s hard to frame them in the viewfinder (they move really fast!) and hard to get sharp focus on the bird. I liked the legs in the picture below, clearly showing the run.

Finally — a duck ran toward me instead of away from me! That’s unusual…

This coot was taking a bath around mid-morning. He was having a great time splashing around in the water. Having a nice high frame rate on the camera sure helps with these action shots. :)