Green-winged Teal

[gail bisson]

We have 3 bachelors on our pond this summer (a first for us).
They are not overly skittish so I have been able to get into the pond (with my waders) with them. They do not fly off but drift away and then slowly make their way back to my side of the pond.
It has been fun to watch them as they seem to practice courtship rituals with one another- a lot of head bobbing and preening and tail wagging.
5D MKIV
600 mm III 1.4 x iii
ISO 1250 F 6.3 SS 1/1250 Taken at ~7:00AM
Small crop, levels, texture slider +8 (I am digging that new slider in LR- works on fine details better than clarity slider I think). NR to BG. NIK DE/TC at 25% opacity and I smoothed out an area in BG on the shoreline above the head.
Burned the creamy patch on flank ( it was overexposed in the RAW).
I did not have to do any water clean up-it really was this color.
Gail