Canada (Ontario)
Nov 24 2022
male, adult, winter plummage
Presqu'ile Provincial Park - This is a fairly rare shot of a common winter duck on Lake Ontario. I have never seen one out of the water although I have seen thousands. The bird was about 20 metres offshore and I stealthily approached very slowly, stopping with each small advancement. I used the camera on tripod as my blind so my form would not be obvious. It worked. In fact, I could have gotten even closer but I stopped when the water reached 3/4" from the top of my rubber boots. I knew what would happen next. I'd turn around and head for shore and it would move (I was about 10 metres into the lake). As soon as I turned it headed into the water and swam away.
The best thing about this rare experience was the setting. It was perfect late afternoon light with the bird in exactly the right position.
The best thing about this rare experience was the setting. It was perfect late afternoon light with the bird in exactly the right position.
Nov 27 2022
What an experience. Similarly I’ve never seen one out of water. Terrific timing with the last rays of sun. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It shows that sometimes the impossible happens. My only regret is that my boots weren’t knee length. 🙂
That is a wonderful duck, superbly captured. we saw it in Sept, but not so close, we could not even take picture of it.
Your experience is the norm and it would have been the same for me but this time it worked.
What a beautiful duck ! Great light ! Makes a fantastic picture
There was a lot of luck involved with this because the final result shouldn’t have happened. I considered the chance of this bird remaining for the full photo shoot to be very slim. Little did I know that the duck was OK with what was going on and it would be me rather than the bird that would end the encounter. And yes, it is a striking species.
Very nice,Brian!
Thanks. This was an experiment that worked much better than I expected.