![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/american-coot-3719-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"american-coot-3719-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nA dramatically leucistic American Coot has been resident at a local pond for nearly the entire winter.<\/p>\n
‘He’ was there again yesterday and I’ve spotted him dozens of times over the last several months. Yesterday I realized that such an unusual bird could be a useful tool for researchers investigating the parameters of feeding territory. Or nesting territory during breeding season. Or a variety of behaviors.<\/p>\n
When all or many birds of a species look alike, how do you distinguish one from another for research purposes? For example, if you’re investigating the size or boundaries of a bird’s territory, how do you tell one individual from another – especially over many days or weeks? It can be done using tags, markers and\/or telemetry but that can be difficult, labor and time intensive and expensive. And trapping and handling birds can be a terrifying experience for them.<\/p>\n
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1\/4000, f\/6.3, ISO 640, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n But a bird like this one would make it easy. There’s been hundreds of coots on the pond this winter and nearly all of them look alike but this one stands out like the proverbial sore thumb.<\/p>\n Even my casual observations of this bird this winter have defined his feeding territory (sometimes called foraging locations) remarkably well. Coots are highly territorial and without exception, every time I’ve seen him (dozens of times on different days) he’s been feeding in the same relatively small area out near the middle of the large pond. I’d estimate that that area covers roughly 5% of the pond’s surface.<\/p>\n Every time I’m there I know where to look for him and I’ve usually found him when I’ve looked for him, including yesterday when this photo was taken. I know of one person who has seen him once in another area of the pond but I never have. He’s always been so far away I’ve never been able to get quality photos of him but I can sure tell where he is, even at that distance (this photo has been cropped substantially).<\/p>\n A weird-looking bird to be sure but also a potentially useful one. Over time I’ve grown quite fond of him from afar.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A dramatically leucistic American Coot has been resident at a local pond for nearly the entire winter.<\/p>\n