Nature Photographers Network
This is the preserved archive of the original Nature Photographers Network. The community continues at naturephotographers.network.
Cinnamon Teals
‹ PreviousAvian GalleryNext ›

Cinnamon Teals

by Dennis Plank

Gallery: AvianPosted June 6, 2013163 views9 comments
And politically incorrect courtship rituals. I thought for a second that he was going to drown her. I do wish he had given be a bit better eye contact, but he never did. I did like the excellent display of the plumage.

1Div, 500mm f4 ISL + 1.4TC, from car on beanbag. f5.6 (should have had a bit more dof), 1/1250, Av mode with -2/3 compensation, iso 320. Processed in CS6. I burned the bank vegetation a bit and did a little extra blurring on the top to reduce the distraction. Cropped to 4.7MP. Taken yesterday (June 5th) at Ridgefield NWR at 9:01 am.

Your comments and criticisms are always appreciated.

Thanks for looking,

Comments

9 comments
Comment posted by Martin Dunn on June 7, 2013 at 3:26 AM
It always seems so unfair to me that the male can be so magnificent and the female so plain. The male's plumage is shown off beautifully here and your photo is, for me, an insight into teal behaviour I had not seen previously.
Registered on February 20, 2013, 198 Posts, 1011 Comments
Comment posted by Gary Reed on June 7, 2013 at 8:48 AM
Nice action shot...LOL...
Martin I'm sure the offspring appreciate her drabness.... :toast:
Registered on September 19, 2009, 198 Posts, 1074 Comments
Comment posted by Howard Cheek on June 7, 2013 at 9:39 AM
Great behavioral action Dennis, this male gets 'top' billing! :wink:
Well done & have a nice weekend :toast:
Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments
Comment posted by Nate Chappell on June 7, 2013 at 2:11 PM
Great action and behavior Dennis, I agree a little more eye contact would improve this but he obviously wasn't focused on you. The shallow depth of field worked out well in this case. :toast:
Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments
Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on June 7, 2013 at 5:28 PM
Spicy photograph, Dennis. :smile: Nice detail. If it were mine, I'd rotate it a few degrees clockwise.
Registered on August 28, 2006, 1240 Posts, 8506 Comments
Comment posted by May Haga on June 7, 2013 at 7:24 PM
Amazing action shot. Very difficult to get both birds sharp but you did.
May
Registered on February 22, 2007, 714 Posts, 8470 Comments
Comment posted by Charles Gangas on June 8, 2013 at 11:50 AM
Terrific look at the drake's plumage and great behavioral capture Dennis. I saw the same behavior exhibited in Newfoundland a few months back with a pair of Mallards-thought the drake would certainly drown the hen- but she endured and seemed none the worse for it. :toast:
Registered on August 12, 2009, 544 Posts, 2414 Comments
Comment posted by Claude Dagenais on June 8, 2013 at 2:33 PM
DOF is fine in my view Dennis. Great detail on these ducks, a great action shot. :toast:
Registered on April 10, 2013, 56 Posts, 571 Comments
Comment posted by LeRoy Gunderson on June 9, 2013 at 9:23 AM
Really nice! As far as eye contact, I think he was thinking of other things. :-)
Registered on December 14, 2004, 27 Posts, 112 Comments