Why is this baby duck dead........

When I found a brood of baby ducks with their mom I was very concerned to see this lifeless little duck just laying there in the sand.  I wondered what happened, why is this baby duck dead?

Fortunately I soon realized that he was just dead tired!!!

Did he fool you too?  The little duck in the photo above does not look very well but it seems that when baby ducks get tired they flop over wherever they are, sound asleep.

See the photo below, he is just fine and waddled away later with the rest of his duck family!

Photoshoot with an Eastern Kingbird

(Click on photos for a closer view)

I love Kingbirds and usually see them while walking along the river or in the fields. They are fun to watch as they dart around catching bugs while they fly. Its also interesting to watch them dive into the river for bugs from low hanging branches over the water.  They are easy to spot by their posture, they sit very kinglike on the tops of trees and sticks monitoring the insect situation around them. They are feisty too, Kingbirds will dive bomb people and much larger birds, including eagles, that pass through their territory during nesting.  They winter in South America and are just now returning to spend the Summer with us.  I have yet to see the bright red crest on the top of their heads, it is completely hidden and does not show unless they are agitated, hopefully I will catch a photo of that before they leave us in the Fall.  These are a few shots I took over the weekend. This particular Kingbird was very curious and came close to see me.  

While I was taking photos a rainstorm came across the water very quickly and a strong wind whipped up. The Kingbird went over to sit with its mate until the storm died down.

As soon as the storm passed they flew off!

Last year I found a pair of Kingbirds feeding their babies - hopefully I will get lucky again this year for another Kingbird family photoshoot!