Pixels at an Exhibition: Hooded Merganser Drake

Monday, January 3, 2011

Hooded Merganser Drake

Hooded Merganser Drake

Straight out of the camera. Large view here.

7 comments:

Donna said...: wild water!; January 3, 2011 at 4:48 AM
Tom Hilton said...: Yeah, the water is great.; January 3, 2011 at 9:18 AM
E-6 said...: I think you need to publish a book of your avian pix, ahab. They're just sublime.; January 3, 2011 at 11:37 AM
ahab said...: Thanks!

I guess it was about 18 months ago, E-6, that I decided it made sense to focus my home shooting on the lake across the street. And birds are probably the most interesting thing about the lake, to me. There is always something new going on at least every few weeks, some bird moving in or out or through, some new water/ice/weather condition, always something new to look at. It's a lot of fun.

Now the ice has temporarily melted off and we have open water again. But no eagles, at least not for the last day or two. I'm hoping for another good crack at them as the lake ices back over. I blew some good chances last week and those shots that got away are really bugging me.; January 3, 2011 at 12:05 PM
E-6 said...: Just so you know, I'm generally not a fan of "wildlife" art. These, however, blow that genre out of the water--Pardon the expression.;); January 3, 2011 at 7:48 PM
Generik said...: That water is just amazing. The duck -- though it's great! -- is almost secondary, even tertiary. This shot is all about the water. And it rocks HARD.; January 3, 2011 at 8:51 PM
ahab said...: Thanks, everyone, for the kind comments.

The birds are meant to be my subject in these shots, of course. But it's often a real challenge getting them to stand out from their watery habitat. If you think about it, they're meant to blend in. Just look at that Merganser, for instance. Who would think a flamboyantly colored and patterned bird like him would blend in anywhere? But he does, just as nature intended. Same with the wildly ostentatious Common Loon. Water, being reflective, is often pretty wildly patterned. Birds take advantage of it, but for me it can be a double-edged sword.; January 4, 2011 at 2:23 PM

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