Juvenile Canadian

[Katie Rupp]

We had a rare cloudy and overcast day so I was out early this morning looking for birds at my favorite site. I found this little guy who was vigorously preening and shaking about; at first I thought it was a duck :confused:(remember I don't have big glass) but then realized he/she was modeling mom's behaviour---right next to him was an adult Canadian Goose preening and primping. This is my first juvie and I think he's quite cute---look at those feet! It's a good-sized crop. Thanks for looking and I appreciate the feedback.

Canon 40D; Manual exp, f6.3; 1/160;ISO 400; 100-400 @400

[Alberto Oria]

I love the attitude of this young guy, Katie, you reflected very well on the image. Well done

[Alfred Forns]

Hi Katie sure got a cute one here !!!

If you want to fill the frame might try getting real low and moving a little at a time, does work more often than not. I like the crop and placement very much but most of all the look. Hope you got some preening poses, its usually good to catch them doing a behavior !!!! Excellent

[Cheryl Flory]

Katie, that's the best image of a young Canada goose I've seen. I'm not surprised you couldn't get any closer! Those parents can be rather aggressive. Can you sharpen or contrast the eye a bit?

[Nonda Surratt]

What a face!! Love that look!!!!!!!

Not sure how your Canada geese are but the ones here, adults, can be quite snarky..so sneak up with care

[Cheryl Flory]

hmmm, snarky/aggressive parents +such cute babies must = a new super long 600 mm lens!! :D

[Katie Rupp]

If wishes were horses----I forgot to say that the geese were on an island and wading into the water is strictly forbidden at the bird preserve so no sneaking up. Thank you all for looking and and I'm glad you like this little guy.

[Gus Cobos]

Very well done Katie,
You have good details and a sharp eye. Personal taste; would have prefered on a more subdued, blured background, and a wee bit of a crop from the top to bring in your subject even closer...good show...keep them coming...:cool:

[John Chardine]

I like the image Katie, for the reasons mentioned. I do not think this is a Canada Goose, or any goose for that matter! This is a duck as you suspected, and from the brown head and shape of the bill it looks like a goldeneye to me. The bird looks fully feathered (literal meaning of the word "fledged") and may be an adult. What made you think it was a young one?

I've posted a young Canada Goose for comparison. The two middle birds are the young. Notice how they still have down but are already showing the white cheek patches of the adults.

[Arthur Morris]

With due respect to all the posters above, this is not a Canada Goose, nor is it a Canadian Geese (as bird never have citizenship), nor is it a goose. It is a common beginner error to assume that two nearby birds are in fact the same species but you need to learn to look at the field marks when in doubt... Katie, you were right that this is a duck. Rathter than tell you the species, I will send you all to your field guides. Note the yellow iris, the brown head, and the yellowish legs... Am looking forward to seeing who can correctly identify this one.

[John Chardine]

As mentioned above, my vote is a (adult female) goldeneye, but I'm no duck specialist!

[Katie Rupp]

:o:o:oWell, this is why I value the Eager to Learn forum! Thank you Artie and John. I went to my three different field guides and now I see that this isn't a Canada Goose and I would guess it is a female Common Goldeneye as opposed to the Barrow because the bill has only a touch of yellow and more closely resembles the comparison drawing (of the bills) in Sibley's. None of the guides say anything about the legs. Also, the Barrow is less common. Is this right?

John, I thought it was a juvenile because it looked so "fluffy" and sorta "goofy" like many juveniles. In any case, this is also a first for me. I'm new to both birding and photography so learning is fun and challenging.

Thank you for the correction!!!

[Harold Davis]

all i can say is that is one duck with attitude!! love the pose and the feet are cool, too!! i dont know if blurring the bg would make it any better, but might be worth a try. congrats on the capture!

[Nicki Gwynn Jones]

Hi Katie!
Agree with Harold - that is one big attitude!!! Oh, and thank goodness for the experts!!

[George DeCamp]

Nice one Katiie! I looked at this and said to muself that is not a Canada Goose, then looked lower in the thread and saw the experts posted their views. By the way, I think the Canada Goose was named after John Canada, not the country, so like Artie says there is really no such name "Canadian Geese".

Your image was well done, I like the eye contact a lot!

[Lisa Williams]

Hi Katie, lovely image of this duck - now we know it is one!.

[Oscar Zangroniz]

Great composition Katie. Very sharp