These amazing little birds were everywhere we went in Iceland. They seemed comfortable in lakes, rivers, marshes, open ocean. For such a seemingly fragile little bird, they have an amazing commute, breeding in the arctic and wintering in the Pacific off Central America. I had thought this was the male of the species, being more strikingly colored, until I looked him/her up. It seems that in this species the roles are reversed. The female is brighter and larger, the male incubates the eggs and raises the young. This was taken in a tiny channel of water on Flatey Island.
D500, 500 f/5.6 PF, ISO 2000, 1/2500s @ f/7.1 manual. HH. Small crop to pano.
Nice one Bill. This is a bird I really want to photograph. Colors look great and nice dark BG to compliment. Love the ripple. IQ looks good. I've never seen this bird, so may just be like that, but wondering if the whites on the breast could go a bit lighter? Striking image, TFS
Yes, and the females engage in multiple polygamy! Love the dark background. I am betting that you would like this better if you open up the front of the face. a bit.
with love, a
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this is an absolute stunner! Would love this one in my files.
The IQ is particularly excellent. a bit of a head turn would have elevated this from a 9.6 to a 10!!
Gail
Thanks again, everyone. Here's a repost with slight lightening of the face and breast. I appreciate the suggestions. Sorry I couldn't turn his head, although to my eye he does seem to be angled ever so slightly toward us.
Ain't she sweet! This was one of the calmer protected spots, and you captured her beautifully against the darker reflections. The ripples have a slow gentle motion adding a lot to composition. I prefer the OP.
Lovely soft light, handsome bird, nice background/ripples/colors. I tend to like slightly moodier images, so was fine with the original, but appreciate both.