Male Pintail – One Handsome Duck Dude

In my view the male Northern Pintail is the most elegant looking duck I see regularly.

 

pintail 0636 ron dudley1/1600 f/8, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

I don’t post ducks often, largely because in the places I regularly shoot I can seldom get the low angle on them that I prefer as they sit on the water but I thought I’d make an exception for this guy. He and his lady hung around the 4-way pond at Farmington for several days earlier this month, possibly seeking refuge from the myriads of hunters. His striking patterns and colors really stood out among the coots and Pied-billed Grebes he was swimming with.

Pintails are among the earliest breeding North American ducks (they begin soon after ice-out) and this male has been in breeding plumage since November. Pair formation actually begins in late fall-early winter. I love the casually elegant feathers above the wing and along the back and that distinctive long, black tail always catches my attention. The male Long-tailed Duck (Oldsquaw) is the only other North American duck to have elongated central tail feathers (retrices).

This is one of the last sharp images I was able to get with my ailing 500mm lens before I sent it in for evaluation/repair. Canon returned that lens to me yesterday afternoon so if/when we get any decent light around here I’ll give it a trial run and see if the issue has been resolved to my satisfaction.

For those of you who have grown weary of hearing about my lens woes, relief should be just around the corner.

Ron

15 Comments

  1. Beautifully detailed shot Ron!
    Charlotte

  2. Subtle, elegant, gorgeous. Proof positive that bling is unnecessary.
    And the water he has ‘arranged himself on’ for the photograph looks like shot silk.

  3. This truly is a gorgeous bird. Very elegant. The patterns in the water go beautifully with his feathers.

  4. Man, that duck looks ready for me to carve!! And, I got just the wood for it. VBG!!
    Absolutely beautiful male. Thanks for the image!

  5. Hi Ron, a beautiful image of a handsome bird. Drake pintails are one of my favorite ducks, and your image is a nice reminder of a painting we have of a Northern Pintail.
    It is usually prominently displayed in our dining room, but it’s now in a cardboard box in the garage (we moved last week!). And, a friend of mine named his Chocolate Lab “Sprig” to honor the bird…
    Thanks for sharing – think I’ll unpack that box this morning!
    Cheers,
    Dick

  6. Beautiful image on all counts…love the crisp detail. Varied patternes, colors, and textures of the feathers, the complimentary color and swirl patterbs of the water, the reflection, everything….

  7. A very handsome drake indeed! I love how the water is creating a satin-like swirl pattern around him.

  8. He is beautiful…Perfect shot!

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