Nesting Merganser

828 3

Comments


Heather Mellon

Terrific action shot Debra. I love the composition and how well she shows up against the spruce trees which provide the perfect colour contrast. Great focus and detail here too.. your hunch paid off in a beautiful capture.

Debra Plett

Thanks very much for feedback Heather always appreciated. Previously I had noticed that she would leave the box between 3 and 5 pm, so I decided to do a little yard work where I could still hear and keep an eye on the nest box. Sure enough I was lucky. My brother told me that the chicks and mom left the nest around the end of June. It is nice to see that the box is getting used like my Dad had intended.

Yves Langlois

Wow, super shot Debra! You freezed that merganser perfectly. Like very much the wings stretched in front. The zoom option shows a nice lighting and the luminous background make it for a beautyful action shot.

Debra Plett

Thanks Yves, I always appreciate your feedback. It was a challenge trying to catch her leaving the box. There is a solar tower about 10 feet in front of where she is in the picture so a bit difficult and lots of timing required not to get that structure in the picture.

Description
A couple of months ago I had put up a picture of a female Hooded merganser poking her head out of a nesting box. I took this picture the beginning of June and had forgotten to post it to the photo club. This was late afternoon and the merganser was leaving the nest box to find food. I tried for several days to catch her but you could be in for a long sit and would need much patience. I had my camera nearby when I heard her moving around. Grabbed the camera in hopes that she would leave the nest and sure enough nature was on my side.
Taken By
Debra Plett
Taken On
August 1, 2023
Tagged
hooded merganser birds ducks eagle dogtooth park ontario plant tree fir animal bird vegetation mailbox accipiter anthus outdoors Plant Natural_landscape Wood Trunk Tree Terrestrial_plant Bird
  • Focal: 250
  • Lens Model: Sony 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM II (SAL70400G2)
  • Shutter speed: 0.0005 sec
  • Aperture: f/ 8

Other Photos by Debra