Spring Waterfowl Part 1 - Ducks

[NorthernFocus]

We have a local bird refuge known as Potter's Marsh. It is known primarily as a nesting location for Arctic Terns. The terns are notoriously aggressive and don't share space very well. One exception is, oddly enough, mew gulls which are also very protective of their nests. These two species share a rookery to the exclusion of nearly anything else. Geese, ducks, etc. also nest in the marsh but in different areas. The primary area that lends itself to easy access for photography is tern territory. And in the past that's pretty much what I've shot down there, terns. I've posted dozens of them here on CIC in the past. They are interesting in and of themselves and are excellent BIF practice early in the season.

In the past couple of years, the marsh has flooded after the terns had eggs and/or chicks in the nest. Since they nest in the marsh close to the water most of them lost their brood. Consequently, this year the tern population is way down. It's a bad news good news scenario. Bad because there are less terns. Good because now other species are occupying space where they can be got at to shoot. As a result, over the past couple of days I've captured quite a few species of waterfowl including a couple of species I'd never shot before. I'll post ducks in this thread and others in another thread.

I went down to the marsh simply to get a few frames shot through a relatively new lens (Nikkor 200-500mm) and to get some BIF practice. The plethora of waterfowl was an unexpected surprise. All of these were shot in about six hours at the marsh one afternoon and the following morning. The backlit shots were taken in the morning. All loaded at resolution intended for viewing in light box.

Nikon D7200, 200-500mm f5.6E
All shot wide open, handheld

1) First ever capture of a Ring Necked Duck. Thought it was a Scaup when I shot it.



2) Another first, Green Wing Teal, Drake in this shot.



3) GWT hen shot the next morning. One of my favorites of both days' shooting.



4) Gave a plain old mallard "green head" some love.



5) And one of the least colorful drakes of all ducks, the Gadwall.



6) Northern Pintail(drake), one of my favorite ducks of which I have only captured once or twice before.



7) OK this one's not a duck. But it's interesting. First off, this guy landed on a sign just a few feet from me and was uncharacteristically content for us to share space. The sign is one of their favorite perches and typically if you get too close to it they'll thrash you. But this was a complacent bird. This is a full frame shot at 500mm(750 FFE) just cropped for format. Note the bulge on his head between eyes and beak. This has something to do with calling. I'd never seen it before and it was only evident when he/she was calling. They have a really raucous call. I also liked the backlit beak and though it was cool that you can see the horizon reflected in his eye.

[Dave Humphries]

Nice set Dan,

Excellent technicals, although I think #5 could do with a clockwise rotation.

I also thought the horizon reflection was cool in #7.

I'm in a hiatus with wildlife photography myself, but if I get back in to it, that 200-500 is on my shopping wish list for the day I feel I can justify its purchase.

Cheers, Dave

[Ziggy]

Very enjoyable series Dan. Number 3 also stands out to me.

[rtbaum]

I'm glad that migration has made it your way

[rudi]

Very nice set Dan,
nice backgrounds, good clear shots. Nice clear eydes on all off them.
I think I prefer nr 3, or perhaps the duck-that-isn't-a-duck .

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks for the comments, everyone. Glad you enjoyed the post.

...I think #5 could do with a clockwise rotation...

Now here's a good opportunity for us in the context of a learning forum. Dave, in no.5 what would you use as a reference to correctly level the image?

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Dan,

Now here's a good opportunity for us in the context of a learning forum. Dave, in no.5 what would you use as a reference to correctly level the image?

The reflections; how a highlight in the real world should be vertically above it's reflection in still water.

That said, here, they are not as obvious as they might be, but looking at several leads me to my conclusion.

For example, on the left, there is a highlight near the top that is actually touching the left hand edge, but its reflection is not.
Now, on its own, this might just be vertical 'perspective distortion', so I looked for examples over toward the right and there are a couple, which are shifted in the same direction, proving the cause is mostly a rotational issue.

HTH, Dave

[bnnrcn]

Excellent set Dan , great light and beautiful birds with nice colors. I think my favs are #3 and #7

[NorthernFocus]

...The reflections; how a highlight in the real world should be vertically above it's reflection in still water.

That said, here, they are not as obvious as they might be, but looking at several leads me to my conclusion.

For example, on the left, there is a highlight near the top that is actually touching the left hand edge, but its reflection is not.
Now, on its own, this might just be vertical 'perspective distortion', so I looked for examples over toward the right and there are a couple, which are shifted in the same direction...

Just so, Dave. With a slight nuance. Light travels in straight lines. So reflections are vertically below the object AND IN LINE with the viewer's eye. With photography it is a bit more complex due to lens effects and the fact that the sensor is not a point receptor. However, it is best to use a reference as close as possible to the center of the frame. Also the more discrete the object is the better. Particularly on rippled water large objects may be only partially reflected but that fact may not necessarily obvious to the eye. The reflections you reference are near the edges of the frame as well as being rather large. Better than nothing but definitely a rather course adjustment tool. Typically when shooting wildlife the critter is at or near the center of the frame. So I typically look for reflected body parts to use as reference. In this case the eye is nicely reflected. As a matter of fact even the catch light shows up in the reflection, more evident with advantage of the full resolution image.

Dave, you know the rest of this but I'll describe it for the benefit of others who may be interested.

The way I typically level images is with the crop/leveling tool in LR. A grid conveniently appears when the leveling tool is engaged. For anyone other than the most critical user, the grid lines are close enough together for eyeball alignment. Below is a screen capture of the image in question. I overlaid lines between a couple of reference points, the eye and a convenient pointed white patch on the bird's flank. Judging by the red lines relative to the grid, the rear reference point looks perfect, but the more reliable eye is just a smidge off plumb. If anything just a touch of anti-clockwise rotation is indicated. But I think we'll call this one good

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Dan,

So I typically look for reflected body parts to use as reference.

Ah, now this is where we diverge; I usually specifically avoid body parts because (I feel) they are; too close to the camera, often viewed at too steep an angle and therefore more likely to be affected by ripples in the water, as to be useful. I have seen so many mis-shapen (reflected) duck's heads, I don't trust 'em

Ripples can also affect the more distant reflections if the angle of view is steep and averaging doesn't occur, but often water nearer the bank is less disturbed by wind.

Each to his own method I guess.

Cheers, Dave

[IzzieK]

Hmm...giving reflections a thought is another thing. I thought seeing a nice reflection then pulling the shot is good enough. Thanks for the info. Anyway, although the others are excellent shots, I like the non-duck one, especially with the backlighting on the beak...

[Shadowman]

Nice series.

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks for commenting, John and Izzie. Got busy and lost track of my posts

Dave, not only to each his own, each image requires its own method based on what's available

[FlyingSquirrel]

Dan, it's been a long time. Decided to drop into the forums for fun to catch up with old friends and post some of my work (coming soon). Nice to see your images again. #3 is my favorite because of the cleanliness of the shot, the reflection, and the stunning light and water colors

[NorthernFocus]

Nice to hear from you Matthew. Hope all is well and yes please update us with a few posted photos.

That one is my fave of the day also for all the same reasons (imagine that). Shame a drake wouldn't offer itself for a similar shot.

[FlyingSquirrel]

Nice to hear from you Matthew. Hope all is well and yes please update us with a few posted photos.

That one is my fave of the day also for all the same reasons (imagine that). Shame a drake wouldn't offer itself for a similar shot.

Thanks, Dan. I have posted my first post of photos since coming back. Baby Goose Series