Adult American Coot bathing in icy cold water – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
Three days ago I photographed this adult American Coot bathing on a sunny afternoon at a pond close to where I live in Salt Lake City. A few days before I took this photo the pond was almost completely iced over. Our recent warmer than normal temps melted the thin ice after one sunny day.
As I focused on the bathing American Coot I thought about how as humans we attempt to label this species as cantankerous, grumpy, fighters, cranky, loud, obnoxious or as having a sour disposition.
Truthfully they can be loud, they fight, and they are territorial. Yet I cringed when I thought about the labels we pin on coots because they behave the way they do without malice and it is never because of overblown egos. Coots instinctively behave the way they do to breed and survive.
I pushed my thoughts away and focused on the coot splashing in the icy cold water of the pond. I found joy in photographing a coot doing what coots do when the sun is shining and there is fresh water to bathe in.
Life is good.
Mia
To view more of my American Coot photos plus facts and information about this species click here.
So enjoyable to watch Coots bathing and with their young. Yes, they can be pretty fierce when defending their territory. We are having a very windy wintery evening , so this looks quite warm in comparison. Love the bright red eye and the flying waterdrops.
Birds bathing never fails to fill me with joy. They give themselves over to it so wholeheartedly – and I have never, ever seen a bird indulging in ‘a lick and a promise’ bathing.
I like coots but then I am married to an old coot!