White-eyed Duck - display

[Ofer Levy]

1D Mark IV, Canon 600 f4 IS, 1/2500, f7.1. iso 500, tripod, full Wimberley

From this morning. The males bend their necks backward all the way down as you can see in here. It's a very quick action - they only stay in this position for a fraction of a second.

Comments and critique are welcome.

[Colin Driscoll]

I've not seen that yet Ofer, interesting. Nice colour dof and detail. I know you get what you get with some shots but slightly softer light would no doubt bring some more out in the bird.

[Tony Whitehead]

Beautifully sharp with lovely plumage textures, Ofer. Catching this unique pose is icing on the cake.

[Blake Shadle]

That's a nice upside down duck you've got there haha. Love the colors in this image. Sharp as a tack. Everything works for me technically and aesthetically. Thanks for posting.

[Randy Stout]

Ofer:

Another nice duck. I suspect he is getting oil from his uropygial gland so he can spread it around to waterproof his feathers. I would be surprised if only the males do this.
Loons do this same routine, and you are right, it is very fast.

I am a bit confused however about how to evaluate the head angle here;)

Cheers

Randy

[denise ippolito]

Excellent timing. Beautiful pose, plumage colors and sharpness.

[Herb Houghton]

A very unusual pose, and I like it. Great details, colors and nice smooth BGD.

[Rick Dobson]

The plumage is beautifully captured. Amazing pose and great angle.

[Michael Zajac]

Ofer, Excellent pose captured and very good sharpness. It seems a tiny bit over saturated but I understand this is a personal preference.

[Bill Dix]

More than just a fantastic behaviour shot; great detail and color to boot! Well done! TFS.

[Ofer Levy]

Ofer:

Another nice duck. I suspect he is getting oil from his uropygial gland so he can spread it around to waterproof his feathers. I would be surprised if only the males do this.
Loons do this same routine, and you are right, it is very fast.

I am a bit confused however about how to evaluate the head angle here;)


Cheers

Randy

Thanks for all your comments guys!
Randy, this has nothing to do with getting oil from the gland above the tail. This is part of the display when the male trows his head back as low as it can get. When they do the oiling they move their heads from side to side and it last much longer - a few seconds. I often see that.
Cheers,
Ofer

[Bryan Hix]

Nice and crisp sharpness. These guys are just like Goldeneyes in springtime here. Love the low angle, dof, and that eye is fantastic.

[Randy Stout]

Thanks for all your comments guys!
Randy, this has nothing to do with getting oil from the gland above the tail. This is part of the display when the male trows his head back as low as it can get. When they do the oiling they move their heads from side to side and it last much longer - a few seconds. I often see that.
Cheers,
Ofer

Ofer:

Thanks for the natural history info!

Randy

[Hendri Venter]

Moment expertly captured Ofer. Outstanding detail and clarity. Love the pose and low capture angle.

[Fernando Cerra]

I´ve seen this behavior, and could not capture like you did, in my experience a female landed short after.