Beautiful Bufflehead

Gallery: AvianPosted January 8, 2015239 views12 comments

Ok - I went through other Snowy images and just didn't think they were up to snuff, so here's a shot of a male Bufflehead. This duck was in a very small pond at a park just a few blocks from my house, which is south of a bigger lake that hosts big numbers of waterfowl in the winter. The park is adjacent to a river and was just recently built after the Town bought a defunct dealership and tore it down to create a natural drainage area. I'm proud to say I was involved in the design of the park and it turned out really beautiful. I'm looking forward to the spring when more species of bird utilize the wetlands - as the site is ideal for photography.

Getting anywhere near this species up here is extremely difficult, so I was excited to get such a chance, especially with good lighting to show off the colors on the head.

Nikon D7100 300mm f4 + 1.7X TC on a beanbag - lying down
f/8
1/2000s
ISO 400
Full Frame

Minor adjustments in post processing and cloned a few specular highlights out

Comments

12 comments

Comment posted by David Haynes on January 8, 2015 at 11:16 PM

Yeah, these guys sure do spook easy. Beautiful setting Luke. You've got everything in this image. Very nice environment, nice reflection, awesome iridescence, a catch light in the eye, nicely exposed whites, and blacks, and tack sharp. Way to go Luke!!!

Registered on February 20, 2010, 110 Posts, 1511 Comments

Comment posted by John Robinson on January 9, 2015 at 12:27 AM

That's a great image - love the backdrop too!. Well done.
JohnR

Registered on March 2, 2008, 535 Posts, 2453 Comments

Comment posted by Jerry Austin on January 9, 2015 at 8:03 AM

Great capture here Luke. I know how hard these guys are to photograph, both from an approachability and exposure standpoint. Good details and colors. Well done.

Registered on January 6, 2012, 651 Posts, 3448 Comments

Comment posted by keith mitchell on January 9, 2015 at 8:16 AM

Luke the large image shows how beautiful this bird is,excellent colours and sheens, would be thrilled if this was mine.

Keith.

Registered on July 12, 2008, 127 Posts, 1735 Comments

Comment posted by Allen Brooks on January 9, 2015 at 9:46 AM

Great job on a tough duck to photograph. The larger view nicely shows the iridescent colors and we can see enough of the background to show off the habitat.

Registered on July 27, 2011, 262 Posts, 2597 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Thompson on January 9, 2015 at 10:23 AM

Luke, this an outstanding capture of this guy. Great environment, pose and the details on the Bufflehead are sharp. I would probably clone the white line below the beak in the reflection away. (I don't know what it is) but it pulls my eye down to it. This would make a fantastic large print. Nice work!

Registered on August 7, 2014, 125 Posts, 2319 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Zablotny on January 9, 2015 at 8:43 PM

Well done Luke

. The head feathers and colors are very choice!..................................Jim

Registered on January 17, 2004, 705 Posts, 3594 Comments

Comment posted by Basri Akcasoy on January 11, 2015 at 4:11 PM

Very nice shot of beautiful bird, TFS.

Registered on February 16, 2012, 118 Posts, 767 Comments

Comment posted by Catherine Reilly on January 12, 2015 at 6:15 AM

Yes, between their so frequent diving and being easily spooked it's not so easy to get a good image of these eye-catching ducks. You sure had idea conditions with the light and everything, Luke. I think this splendid all around. The head looks gorgeous!

Registered on August 16, 2006, 603 Posts, 9192 Comments

Comment posted by Jason Jablonski on January 14, 2015 at 12:49 AM

Great shot Luke! These guys are so hard to get close to. The colors are great!

Registered on March 1, 2014, 24 Posts, 43 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on January 14, 2015 at 5:32 AM

Luke,
All I can add is BEAUTIFUL

Registered on December 15, 2010, 1537 Posts, 4877 Comments

Comment posted by David Bogener on January 15, 2015 at 4:25 PM

I like the low angle and how you composed the image to capture the drake in the little patch of open water reflection. Wonderful colors and exposure.

Registered on October 30, 2013, 417 Posts, 1255 Comments