Northern Shoveler

A different look

This is a different look, a portrait shot of a lovely winter duck here in So Cal. This is a drake Northern Shoveler. They gather up water in their mouths and then force it through this filter beak, trapping plankton like organisms. These ducks, like many other species, are like hummingbirds-unless the light is coming off of them at the right angle, their heads will look black rather than the iridescent green. Minimal processing, but a wayward feather was cloned out on his back.