Blue-winged teal

Gallery: AvianPosted November 25, 2010207 views23 comments

When teal want to land, they can put on the air brakes very quickly. This bird was flying full speed, reared up and landed in front of me with a bunch of other teal. I like the bird's position, the early morning light, and the smooth BG. The BG is water not sky. Please view the larger image for max details. Thanks for looking.

Canon 1DMIV
500mm f/4 +1.4x TC
ISO 800
1/2500s
f/6.3
Manual exp.
HH
53% of FF
No NR
cloned out two small spots on the water.

Comments

23 comments

Comment posted by Eric Diller on November 25, 2010 at 6:39 PM

Patience paid off for this capture......well done Ron!

Registered on October 2, 2009, 69 Posts, 434 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on November 25, 2010 at 6:47 PM

Knew this was yours - another beauty, Ron -

Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Peter Conway on November 25, 2010 at 7:29 PM

Excellent. He must not have come far since he is still dripping.

Peter

Registered on June 25, 2007, 347 Posts, 3913 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on November 25, 2010 at 7:31 PM

Peter, not sure what you are getting at by your comment.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on November 25, 2010 at 7:38 PM

Awesome! Great position. Nice detail.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments

Comment posted by Peter Conway on November 25, 2010 at 7:46 PM

Ron,

Sorry my typing leaves something to be desired. I left out the word "not". I wasn't trying to get at anything, I found the water droplets both interesting in terms of detail and also the story they tell. He must not have flown in from miles away since the wind from hitting the air brakes pushed some water off his feet.

Registered on June 25, 2007, 347 Posts, 3913 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on November 25, 2010 at 8:08 PM

You are correct Peter, these birds are using an area only a few square miles in size. They tend to fly short distances and then land again. Usually they fly because a harrier, eagle, or falcon comes by looking for a meal.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on November 26, 2010 at 5:51 AM

Classic pose Ron - another beauty

cheers
Rob

Registered on November 8, 2003, 617 Posts, 8267 Comments

Comment posted by Geoffrey Baker on November 26, 2010 at 12:37 PM

A great pose and great camera work in getting the shot

Well done.

Geoff.

Registered on August 20, 2010, 192 Posts, 980 Comments

Comment posted by Larry Fischer on November 26, 2010 at 2:15 PM

A real keeper, Ron.
The coloration on the upper wings is often hard to get and this is a textbook on upper wing color.
Glad you had a very fast shutter speed.
Nice work.
the fisch

Registered on July 28, 2008, 155 Posts, 874 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Balke on November 26, 2010 at 3:21 PM

Another beautiful BIF image, Ron. That ISO 800 setting sure allowed just the right aperture along with a reassuringly fast shutter speed. The bird is completely alone in the shot: a featureless background and, of course, no perch. I think I prefer something else to be there. However, that's just a matter of personal taste.

Registered on June 18, 2009, 229 Posts, 2915 Comments

Comment posted by Andy Shepherd on November 26, 2010 at 3:28 PM

Another very fine BWT shot, Ron. The wing position is very nice and so are the small water droplets falling from the feet.

Andy...

Registered on September 24, 2006, 123 Posts, 1254 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on November 26, 2010 at 8:51 PM

Ron,

I love the pose of the teal, spread tail & wings, water droplets and great eye contact. I really admire your ability to photograph ducks in flight, they can be speed demons!

Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Saunders on November 26, 2010 at 10:41 PM

Nicely caught Ron. Love the colours in the wings

Registered on February 6, 2008, 321 Posts, 3035 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on November 26, 2010 at 10:50 PM

Excellent, Ron. I like the angle of the bird and the light. The drops of water on the breast are a neat touch.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by KC Choo on November 26, 2010 at 11:19 PM

I like everything about this one, Ron!

Registered on November 15, 2004, 519 Posts, 8278 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on November 27, 2010 at 12:32 PM

An amusing pose which conveniently shows off so much of this bird... I hope to get a chance to shoot these ducks when I visit FL in January.

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on November 27, 2010 at 5:28 PM

Killer Capture Ron

Ken Archer

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by May Haga on November 27, 2010 at 7:59 PM

Excellent flight shot Ron. This shows off beautifully why it is called a Blue-winged Teal.
May

Registered on February 22, 2007, 714 Posts, 8470 Comments

Comment posted by Derrick Lipinski on November 27, 2010 at 9:53 PM

Wow! Simply spectacular, Ron! Nice angle.

Registered on October 5, 2007, 58 Posts, 2039 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on November 28, 2010 at 8:17 AM

Nice catch Ron, the LP looks fab.
I especially like this backside POV showing us the wing colors/patterns so well..
Looks like with the MIV & your great technique, the skies the limit

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments

Comment posted by Ian Mason on November 28, 2010 at 12:28 PM

Another outstanding image - keep them coming please!

Registered on December 14, 2005, 399 Posts, 2305 Comments

Comment posted by Giorgio Gregori on November 28, 2010 at 1:06 PM

Excellent capture Ron ,
it's wonderful to see how many colors are there in the wings of these beautiful animals .
Giorgio

Registered on November 16, 2007, 87 Posts, 793 Comments