Mandarin Duck

[Doug Brown]

It was a gorgeous morning today; a chill in the air and some great sunshine. I met Gary Rouleau and another friend at the pond at the Rio Grande Zoo. Any bird photographer traveling to New Mexico for the Bosque should make this a stop. A lone Mandarin Duck appeared there a couple of weeks ago, and has remained as its plumage has gotten better and better. This is a new species for me. What an incredible bird! Puts the Wood Ducks to shame! I would have liked to have gotten this image with my new 7D, but I was letting one of the guys try it out. Not that the Mark III is a slouch! This is a substantial portion of full frame.



Canon 1D Mark III, 400mm, f/5.6, 1/1000, ISO 400, hand held

[Fabs Forns]

Beautiful specimen in nicely colored water. A bit tight for my taste. They are beautiful, we have them at the Zoo here, I'm afraid not in a voluntary way though :)
Excellent EXP control and feather detail.

[Doug Brown]

It's a little tight for me too, but after a little rotation, I wasn't left with any canvas to work with. I'm pretty sure this one is a wild specimen.

[Dave Blinder]

Beautiful water and ripples around a handsome duck. I'm sure this is a tough bird to expose perfectly, did the whites burn out at all?

[Morkel Erasmus]

magnificent colours and water sheen here. crop is fine for my tastes and good flashwork used.

[Doug Brown]

No flash was used Morkel.

[Doug Brown]

The whites were slightly overexposed but not blown on the original exposure. I simply pulled them back a little in Lightroom.

[denise ippolito]

Doug, I agree it's a bit tight but the details are fantastic. I hope to get a chance this year to capture some images of one of these beauties!!

[Gal Shon]

Apart from being tight that is a superb image.
I love the water texture.

[john crookes]

Doug,

The Mandarin is listed as a display animal for the Rio Grande Zoo

I believe the only known breeding populayion in america is in sonoma valley where they were illegally placed

John

[Doug Brown]

Doug,

The Mandarin is listed as a display animal for the Rio Grande Zoo.

Must be a new addition; I haven't seen one there before. Thanks for the tip.

[Jim Fenton]

Beautiful subject, perfect exposure and sharpness and the water really adds to it.

I do agree with Fabs that it's a bit tight.

It's interesting to see with the exception of the head, how much the bird looks like a drake wood duck in some areas.

I don't typically do zoo shots, but given the opportunity, I wouldn't have passed this beauty up :)

[Geraldo Hofmann]

Great capture and yes I agree its a little bit tight ... And I go with John it looks very much like the right wing (facing the viewer) is cut ... compare it to the left wing of the bird.
Geraldo

[Doug Brown]

I don't typically do zoo shots, but given the opportunity, I wouldn't have passed this beauty up :)

The nice thing about the birds (at least the ones on the pond) at the Rio Grande Zoo is that they are almost entirely wild. If this Mandarin Duck is captive, I think they have 4 captive birds (Mute Swan, female Ruddy Duck, Red-Breasted Goose, and Mandarin Duck). In the wintertime, there are several hundred Wood Ducks, American Wigeons, Ring-Necked Ducks, and Mallards. There's also a wild Hooded Merganser. Other regulars include Belted Kingfishers, Black-Crowned Night-Herons, Canada Geese, and the occasional raptor. You can get low, and the birds are not afraid of photographers.

It's a real gem, especially during the fall.

[Harshad Barve]

what a good looking bird , Zoo or not , I wont skip such oppurtunity
TFS

[edgar-junior]

Nice detail on shot Doug !!!

[Stu Bowie]

Stunning colours throughout Doug, and I think you have exposed them so well. The tightness doesnt bother me all that much, but I would maybe take a tad off the bottom. Great image.

[arash_hazeghi]

Very beautiful colors, love the creamy soft water. detail and sharpness are perfect. Congrats and what a nice bird :)