Resting Duck

No idea what kind of duck this is. It let it float itself right in front of me while sleeping with an occasional open watchful eye. Did some minor cleanup of the water. The green "stuff" around the waterline is the actual color of the water - it's full of green scum. Taken last Saturday at the Radio Road ponds in Redwood City, CA.

Thanks in advance. JR

Canon 40D, 500F4IS, 1/1600s, F5.6, ISO-400, Manual Exposure, Gitzo Tripod w/ Mongoose 3.5a

Love the light, the detail, the peaceful mood, the perfect REFL, and even the green scum :) I am guessing Northern Shoveler hen based on my general impression, the feathering, and the seeming large head. Did you see it wake up?

Beautiful image, Joerg! The perfect reflection and the green fringe of algae put this photo over the top. The two dark streaks in the BG above the bird's body are a minor distraction to my eye, and could be cloned out easily, but it's probably not necessary.

John

Balance of the comp almost spot on for me..And the light and detail of the visible eye are great.

I wouldn't mind a tiny bit more room below (for symmetrical reasons), but all else looks great! Good details and exposure, and I too love the green scum.

Thank you all for the comments. Glad nobody objected to the green scum. :)

Arthur, I vaguely recall seeing a pretty large yellow-orange bill once she raised her head once. Otherwise she was pretty non-descript. So, you're probably right with her being a northern shoveler hen...

Best, JR

Thanks JR. Your description of the bill pretty much clinches it.