Mandarin ducks mating

[Xavier Maessen]

Although the mandarin duck (Aix galericulata) breeds in East Asia, there are feral populations established in Europe since early 20th century. And particularly at the Rouge-Cloître, a part of the Sonian Forest that ventures into Brussels.

This mating pair was photographed there this Saturday afternoon, on the little river that quietly flows through the site. The light was quite scarce, as there are many alders around the water, and the little dale is surrounded by a beech forest.

EOS 7D + EF 300mm 2.8L + Extender 2x
1600 ISO, f/8 to maintain a sufficient DOF, 1/250sec
Tripod at low level & gimbal head
Shot through a fence

Cropped 18MP > 11.4MP
Processed with DPP + Selective noise reduction on the BG.

Thank you for your comments & critiques!

Xavier

[gail bisson]

Wow Xavier! A 7D and ISO of 1600 and you got an incredible IQ image. Really good behavior captured. I might selectively sharpen the hen's head. Good comp as well,
Gail

[dankearl]

Wow is right, fantastic behavior and just plain old great comp, light and color.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Xavier, good 'action' captured, and this shows how more colourful the male is to the female. You have done exceptionally well considering your light limitations explained, and if anything, I would take off the bottom.

[Rich Steel]

Hi Xavier

We have a feral population locally but never managed to capture them mating. Impressive IQ for the 7D given the light conditions and ISO setting. The females head looks like it is slightly soft from movement due to shutter speed and may be worth trying some selective sharpening there.

Cheers

Rich

[Morkel Erasmus]

great behaviour and superb techs
I would also add some sharpening to the hen's head...

[Frank Schauf]

Excellent shot with very nice soft background.

[Xavier Maessen]

Thank you all for your kind comments and your suggestions. Here is the repost with selective sharpening on the hen's head. I also worked on the levels to make the contrast slightly punchier.

Xavier

[arash_hazeghi]

excellent behavioral photo with nice light low angle and details. I'd prefer a bit more space on the left

[Nancy Bell]

Very good repost. I would prefer a bit more of a "pano" crop to highlight the linear aspect of the image. The male Mandarin is downright gorgeous!