This is the time of year in Southern California that I enter into the “doldrums” for bird photography. Most of the migrating birds have moved on north. Particularly noticeable by their absence are the many ducks that winter here. Now all that we have left on all the community ponds are the Mallards and Mallard Mongrels. Have just finished processing the remainder of shots from this winter on various trips to local ponds. I will wait the ducks’ return in the fall.
All of these were shot with a Canon R5, 600 mm f/4.0, handheld. Minimal cropping, small amount of vibrance added, BG darkened slightly, run through Topaz DeNoise AI.
Ring-necked Duck
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Country United States
State California
Location Rancho Calavera Community Park
Gender Male
Age Adult
Activity Feeding in the Wild
- Created Timestamp01/01/1970 00:00:00
Wow – you must have been treading in the water to get this shot of a Ring-necked Duck! You can even see the ring! Outstanding.
One of the huge advantages (IMO) of the mirrorless cameras is the ease with which you can use the LCD screen (“live view”) to compose the image. With this shot I was using a heavy 600 mm f/4.0 lens on the R5. The tripod foot was rotated and facing upward. I hold the tripod foot suspending the camera just above the water. Using the tilt screen and eye tracking AF I can take pictures of the waterfowl at their eye level easily just sitting on the bank of the pond.