Wetland Experience Photo Collection

WIKEN

I needed to improve my photos of birds in flight, so I headed to our local wetland to see if there were any photo opportunities. The answer is yes.  I have been going back, almost daily, for a few hours each morning.  I would like to share my photos with you.  There are many, but this is a collection for reference.  Some are terrible.  Some I really like.  If something catches your eye, by all means paint it.  You have my permission.

It is very peaceful to be hunkered down in the cattails surrounded by the sights and sounds of the marsh.  I strongly recommend you go wading.

Here is the link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/albums/72157708452490725

Some examples:
Eared grebe portrait.  Very curious, they often swim just feet from the blind.


Drake blue-winged teal.  Very fast, and very hard to get focused for the shot.


Drake redhead.  When the water is like glass, the duck seems to float in a void.


Here is another example.  A drake shoveler floats through the screen.


The Franklin's gulls often fly by to get a better look at me, giving me a better look at them.  


I won't post anymore, so that this doesn't take forever to load.  Thanks for looking. 

PaulB

Fantastic.  That blue-billed duck is incredible, great lighting too.

Kaustav

These are amazing shots!

dencal

WIKEN

Beautiful work. Long telephoto or zoom? Camera?

Denis

Summer

These are wonderful images to behold.  Me thinks you are warming up to enter a duck stamp contest.  Please let us know if you do.  We'd love to tag along.  I would anyway. 

WIKEN

@dencal ,  Tamron 150mm-600mm G2 lens.  I can't afford the big primes.

@Summer , you may be right.  I'll let you all know.

WIKEN

Paul, those are ruddy ducks.  Very fun to watch.  They trap air in their breast feathers,  then rapidly beat their bill against the breast to form a bubble mat in front of them.  Then they inflate their throat, extend their neck forward and emit a quiet quack.  All the while they hold up the tail and raise the brow feathers for dramatic effect.  Get six of those drakes going at once, it is quite a show.  The females always appear unimpressed.

tassieguy

You take great photos, @WIKEN. I looked at them on Instagram. Just beautiful. 

dencal

WIKEN

Steve Biro has taken your advice about getting into the reeds.


'He was not very impressed': Bald eagle picture brings Insta 'love'


http://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-28/photographer-flattered-by-response-to-eagle-picture/11155270

Denis

Dianna

Wow.  Fabulous.

WIKEN

I had to share my photos of the king and queen from this morning.  I saw them at a distance and willed them to come closer.    They were within three feet of the blind!  These are canvasbacks. These two photos are right off the camera, without any adjustments.  So happy.

The Queen


The King
  

WIKEN

Just to let you know, I reversed the order of the album from newest to oldest.  That way you can see the new stuff at the top.  Every day is a new opportunity.

White pelicans almost in my lap.


Wood Ducklings.  Nothing cuter than these little fluff balls.

WIKEN

I have to share one more for Paul.  I'm assuming these are the blue-billed ducks you were talking about. This ruddy duck is all attitude.

Ronna

I love these!  That Drake redhead is wonderful.

BOB73

super good photography. patience to sit in a blind is an awesome talent by itself. Do you use decoys? Hip waders? What happens when you need to answer the call of nature? No, the other call.

WIKEN

No decoys.  I just observed where the birds were congregating, then moved in.  Everywhere I sat, something swam by.  Some birds seemed curious about the blind and got danger close.  Chest waders were a must, as I sat in a folding chair in water over my waist for hours.  As far as the call of nature, go before you leave, and minimize your fluid intake.  Most of my sessions were only a couple hours, morning and evening, while the light was good.  

Yesterday morning, my plan was to get better pictures of a white-faced ibis.  I had been seeing them feeding regularly along a particular stretch of shoreline, but they are very wary.  I hunkered in some Russian olive with a woven palm frond mat in front of me.  I didn't have to wait long.
 

PaulB

Amazingly good photos.