Wood Duck Flap

[John Haig]

Post breeding plumage starting to show signs of moult.

Canon 40D, 300 4L IS with 1.4 extender, ISO 640, 1/2000 @ 5.6

I didn't get a chance to shoot the wood ducks in the pond beside my house until May last spring, long after they were past their prime plumage. Hopefully this year I'll have more opportunities.

This image was made shortly after dawn from a semi-permanent blind on the shore. The birds are attracted to natural food sources but I usually toss a couple of handfuls of corn every day to keep them interested.

Thanks for looking.

[Christian Dionne]

Great PoV, I really love the BG, Nice pose, I wish there was a little more room on top for the head, I also might have cropped the 2 waves of the bottom.... personal taste....
Nice shot!

[Randy Stout]

John:

Good timing, nice angle on the head,flying drops,sharp.
The crop works well for me.

It seems to me there is a bit too much of a green hue in the image, needs a bit more blue, but you were there!

what time of day was it shot?

Cheers

Randy

[John Haig]

Thanks guys...Christian, I debated the same thing and ended up leaving them....there is a slight crop from full frame that I should have mentioned...it's about 85-90% of full.

Randy, the image was made within a few minutes of daybreak and very late in May (26th) - the strong green tones are due to the vibrant new growth of shoreline vegetation illuminated by the rising sun being reflected back onto the water - if anything it was even more emerald-hued in reality. There's also a thick mat of submerged vegetation that is just under the surface at this point, which probably contributes as well.

Thanks for the comments!

[Bill Dix]

Nice action shot. I love the way the bg transitions smoothly from blue water to green foliage. Would a touch on NR on the background help?

[Danny Laredo]

Love the pose you captured here and the detail is very good.

[Markus Jais]

Beautiful shot. I like the composition. Great light and colors. Fantastic background!

Markus