I was wandering around the Como Park Zoo back in 2010 and ran across several good photo opportunities.  One of the most fun was around the orangutan enclosure.  There were a couple just sitting out watching the weird people walking around them.  The shot below exemplifies this impression.  I caption/title it "Seriously??"

Seriously??

I spent an hour or two yesterday going through older photos to find ones I hadn't gotten around to uploading for some reason.  So, for the next couple of days, that is what I'll be posting.

These first couple are from 2008.  I was walking around Lake Cornelia in Edina when i spotted a large bird soaring high overhead.  Focusing as best as I could, I snapped off a couple of shots.  After much exposure compensation and cropping, here is what I got.  It is an osprey carrying lunch (I'm not good at identifying fish, so someone will have to help me out there).

Osprey with fish

Osprey with fish

Mallards are ubiquitous.  If you ask someone to describe a duck, they'll probably describe a mallard.  In fact, mallards are the only waterfowl that I would refer to as "a duck" as opposed to mentioning the breed.

This makes them somewhat boring to shoot.  There's only so many ways to get a shot of a bird with a bright green head before you run out of ideas or inspiration.  That's when you look for action.  Like watching them wash.

All the waterfowl I've seen tend to bathe in the same manner.  They'll start by ducking their head underwater quickly so that the water will run down their back.  And repeat this many times.  They may ruffle their feathers a bit and then back to the ducking. 

Now is when you prepare your camera and pay close attention.

When they're done washing, they'll stand up on their legs (or look that's what they're doing, anyway) and flap vigorously to get the water off.  This can be a wonderful shot.  I've gotten several.  Except for the side lighting (which is regretable), this is probably my best.

Mallard