Black Scoter

[Geoff Malosh]

Hi folks,

Photographed this bird late last week on the Ohio River near Pittsburgh. This species is a rare treat for us here in western Pennsylvania; this was only the fourth record for the county I live in. It was still there today, the ninth day of its stay.

Canon 50D, 500mm f/4L + 1.4x, 1/1250 @ f/7.1, ISO 320, evaluative, manual exp., handheld (actually, lying on my back and balancing the camera on my knee so as to keep a low profile).

[Harshad Barve]

beautiful image , lovely species , open beak pose looks good here ,
TFS

[Danny J Brown]

Hey Geoff: The bar for duck shots has been very high this week and you have jumped it with room to spare. The low angle, the look in its eye, the mid-quack comp, the water droplets, the wavy water......all go together to produce a winner here. Good reminder for me what F/7.1 will produce with that 500F4. Also, beautiful work with the 50D. I sent mine back and bought a second 40D because I couldn't figure out how to drive that complicated little machine.

[Steve Maxson]

The open-bill pose, sharpness, light, and low shooting angle all combine to produce a winner, Geoff. Well done.

[Brian Sartor]

Excellent details. Love the open bill and bit of reflection. The silver water compliments the scoter's coloring nicely.

[Ben Egbert]

Great shot, a real keeper. Sharp, well exposed, love the open beak and tongue detail. You get extra credit for a rare bird. Well done.