Tuesday 14 December 2010

The Ice Walker.

As promised here is the second follow up to my recent post Walk in the Park when I tempted a Coot to exit the water by scattering a few tit bits on the ice while I knelt on a frozen mound of grass close to the waters edge patiently trying to keep the still and composed in the freezing air.

Now from my previous encounters with this species during the winter months it certainly has no fear of walking on frozen water. Those lobed feet act like suction pads and the sharp toes are probably better than a pair of crampons so you rarely see a Coot slipping and sliding like many of the ducks and gulls.

The foot placement was slow are careful as it hesitantly closed the distance towards the lens while searching the ice for the tiny morsels. Once located the single seed was delicately extracted from the icy surface .... 

..... and then it decided that was close enough and exited stage left. 

The ultimate footwear for an 'Ice Walker'.

I am joining in with Watery Wednesday and World Bird Wednesday,
so please click the links for more interesting watery and wildlife images.   FAB.

39 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness....in love with your "ice walker"! Those feet are amazing, and the last shot of them is so neat - so very specialized and adapted perfectly :)

    Happy Holidays!
    -Carrie and Ben

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  2. What a fantastic ice walker. I wonder what is on their foot that they won't slide ^_^ Great shot!
    Watery Wednesday

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  3. Hi Ben and Carrie. Thanks for the appreciative comment. Happy Hols to you both. FAB.

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  4. Hoily Crampons!! That's a great shot of the Coot's feet! Your camera must be very silent for you to be able to capture this sequence without startling this very shy creature.

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  5. Kneeling on frozen grass? Now, that's dedication! And well worth the effort, the photos are beautiful! Such detail!

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  6. Cool shots of the Coot. They have the weirdest looking feet. Interesting post.

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  7. Wonderful photos of the bird on the ice - thanks for sharing because I don't think I could manage that cold!

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  8. So funny to see this bird on ice! Great inages :) The feet's are very impressive!

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  9. Great day in the morning! These are amazing shots and the topper is the foot detail. I notice that that each toe has a different number of joints now isn't that crazy? Congratulations on a interesting story accompanied with fascinating pictures I enjoyed this very much!

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  10. Great series Frank.
    They certainly have strange looking feet, but they do the job.

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  11. Excellent shots. The feet on this bird always amaze me. I've got some shots of this bird but nothing I ever thought good enough to share. I'm impressed. :-)

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  12. Hi Frank...absolutely great photos of the Coot... and the ultimate footwear sure serves him well..that is quite the pair of feet!! : }

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  13. Superb shots. What fabulous feet that Coot has.

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  14. Those feet are out of this world. I think the official term is "lobate". I'll just stick with cool.

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  15. An amazing macro of the coot's feet! So etched with lines! The coot seems quite an adaptable bird! And feathers are not ruffled up against the cold!

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  16. Wow - just terrific shots! And I LOVE that last one of the close up of his feet. Absolutely marvelous!

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  17. Super cool shots of the American Coot Frank! Those feet look so big out of the water. The last shot...priceless!

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  18. wonderful post! coots have the most amazing "dinosaur" feet, and seeing it one the ice really accentuates them! cool shots!

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  19. Wonderful shots, I really love the feet! Wonderful reflections as well.

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  20. Superb shots of the Coot. These freezing conditions have been great for photography but a bit of a pain for our wildlife. My local Bitterns are out on the ice every day at the moment trying to find food.

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  21. Excellent!!!! I want his shoes!!! Super...I love your photos, I like to go birdwatching a lot. This was a special treat for me.


    My Wednesday Link Do take time to stop by if you can. I also have a Christmas Day Gift Giveaway for you if you'd like to click on the very top button [Santa button] on my blog that'll direct you to another page, to view my gift,...sign up for your chance to win!!

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  22. Those feet are great!!! Boom & Gary Of The Vermilon River.

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  23. Oh my Frank, these are exceptional images and the bottom one...oh what big feet you have... that is a brilliantly done photo for certain, just great stuff here ~

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  24. Guess I've never seen the feet of a coot! They are incredible. What a great image!

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  25. Really nice capture! Looks like you got very close, love the photo of the feet!

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  26. Wow! Terrific shots, Frank. Love that gingerly walking stance in the second to last photo and those feet look high-tech.

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  27. Wonderful captures, but those are the funniest feet I've seen on a bird! =)

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  28. Hi Everyone. I appreciate all your complimentary comments.

    Coots are fairly common around here and when seen floating are often ignored but a change of circumstances shows them off ... particularly their extraordinary footwear ... in a totally different light!

    Enjoy your wildlife watching. FAB.

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  29. Wow.. I love the feet of this one. spectacular each one

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  30. A brilliant series of shots Frank. Well rewarded for the discomfort.

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  31. Nice photos. Say, don't they know that they can fly south????

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  32. Steve B. There is some movement from Northern into Western Europe. A fairly hardy and adaptable species that doesn't have to seek out a warm location!

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  33. Fab series! These feet always make a good photo - on ice they are just so "cool" ;-)

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  34. fantastic shot!

    http://lilyrianitravelholic.blogspot.com/

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  35. Wow is right! I love the shot of the feet!

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  36. dreamfalcon, Lily Riani and Jean.

    Delighted you enjoyed this post.

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  37. great pictures. What extraordinary feet!

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  38. Hi Cindy. Cheers. Those feet are definitely unreal!

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