Rainy Day Work

I have shot many images in the past 3 weeks of a pair of Hooded Mergansers at Ridgefield. Both sexes are very handsome in their colors and feathered "headwear," the drake for his white hood and the hen for her "just out of the hair salon" doo. Like most mergansers these birds are very wary of us people and as photographers we feel lucky getting close enough for an image of one or the other.
My disclaimer - if you can get one on your media card the obvious next goal would be to have both in the same frame. Easier said then done, sure I did get a couple of shots with both but either one wasn't posed well or too far apart for good DOF. So I decided if the ducks wouldn't cooperate I would do it myself by bringing them together courtesy of photoshop and lots of coffee.
The photo posted is the result of merging 2 images, both of the original images are included below (the hen was flipped horizontally for better composition.) Advice for my "landscape and waterfall" photographer friends, keep doing what your doing as sometimes shooting birds isn't all it's "quacked up" to be!


Larger version available

Drake F/6.7 1/30 ISO 100
canon 7D, canon 600mm f4.L, auto window beanbag rest, CS5, LR3, NIK's suite

Both original images below

Hen, image flipped in merge

Drake

The blend looks really great! What an interesting species.. the more I see these, the more I want to to attempt birds.. but I would never be able to get anything close to this..

Both shots are great Craig, and your blend is top notch. Makes for an excellent comp.

Great compositioin Craig, Oh how I pine for that 600mm lens.

Where's the one that's at the top of your blog?? These are fantastic, but it's the one of the drake that makes me question if I'm a good enough photographer to be called your peer (as apposed to your acolyte).

Found it .

This is a very natural looking photomerge Craig. If you had not said anything, I don't think I would have ever known!