Male (Lesser?) Scaup

[Stephen Stephen]

I created this image yesterday on a very cold, windy and cloudy morning. I was out with Dan Cadieux and Gary Fairhead.

Scaup are not that common here in Ottawa but a female has been frequenting a pond in Andrew Hayden Park for a week or so. While we were trying to photograph her (an unwilling subject) two males joined her for a time.

I managed this image when one male and the female swam up behind me when I was photographing a female red-breasted merganser. I believe that it is a male Lesser scaup because of, what appears to be, a head crest but, I stand to be corrected.

Canon 40D, Sigma 50-500mm at 500mm on BushHawk, F6.5, ISO 640, 1/500sec with Fill flash at -3. Cropped to about 40-45% of full frame. red-eye removed. The angle is high because I was on a ridge above the pond while trying to use a tree trunk as a partial blind. In nearly all other locations around the pond you just have lawn.

[Ed Cordes]

This looks like tough light, but you did well to get details in the head.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Fill flash definitely helped here. I like the details and eye contact but would prefer if the bird swam toward you.

[Stephen Stephen]

Thank you Ed and Axel. Axel I too would have liked the bird to be swuimming towards me. He and the female were doing so (actually swimming towards my back) but as soon as I turned around to create an image they made a quick 180 degree turn and headed for the far side of the pond.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Scaup are not that common here in Ottawa but a female has been frequenting a pond in Andrew Hayden Park for a week or so. While we were trying to photograph her (an unwilling subject) two males joined her for a time.

Actually, these divers are quite common during migration...but usually WAY out into the river (spotting scope-type distance). It's just uncommon for them to come in like these ones did. Quite wary too, yikes! Excellent use of fill...love the catchlight :-) I'm sure with patience you (we) may end up with nice front facing images...

[Stephen Stephen]

Dan, thanks for the clarification. I did of course mean that this duck was uncommon for we photographers.

Perhaps we'll need to get there early one morning and set up a portable blind or use some camo cloth.