Hooded MerganserMay 10, 2009
 


The normal tendency for my merganser (or duck) photography is that the ducks are much farther away than I'd prefer. Occasionally, the reverse occurs, as in the following sequence of two photos.

I had surprised a hooded merganser couple near the close edge of the large pond between the Toftrees game land and the golf course. The disadvantage of a long lens is the difficulty of keeping the subjects in the depth of field (that is, in focus). In the first photo, I concentrated on the male hooded merganser.

 
Hooded merganser couple
 

And in the second photo I concentrated on the female.
 
Hooded merganser pair
 

And that was essentially it: a few seconds of nearby photography. The hooded mergansers had enough of me and, after a running start, flew to the far side of the pond.
 
Female merganser on the run
 

The male in particular has a wonderful display, and I only regret that the fellow didn't raise his hood.

Photo note: I used a Pentax K200D, with the SMC 1000mm reflex lens on April 5, 2009, for these photos.



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