![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/common-goldeneye-0857-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"common-goldeneye-0857-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nHaving fun with anthropomorphism.<\/p>\n
Yesterday morning at Bear River MBR I made multiple attempts at photographing ducks, mostly Common Goldeneyes, taking off and in flight without a lot of success. The birds were just too spooky and the sidelight was too harsh and directional.<\/p>\n
But I captured one series of photos that I couldn’t resist having some fun with.<\/p>\n
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Usually the ducks took off en masse before I even got my pickup stopped. But this time they waited a split second too long so I was able to get a small group of them in my viewfinder just as they exploded to the north. They all seemed to be in a race to see which of them would be leading the pack when they became airborne.<\/p>\n
This male Common Goldeneye was really striding out and appeared to be gaining on the three ducks in front of him when…<\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/common-goldeneye-0859-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"common-goldeneye-0859-ron-dudley\\"")
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a sneaker female Canvasback came up from near the back of the pack and…<\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/common-goldeneye-0860-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"common-goldeneye-0860-ron-dudley\\"")
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continued to gain ground, or uh… water, on him.<\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/common-goldeneye-0861-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"common-goldeneye-0861-ron-dudley\\"")
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She pulled almost neck and neck with him before…<\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/common-goldeneye-0862-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"common-goldeneye-0862-ron-dudley\\"")
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passing him by and…<\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/common-goldeneye-0863-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"common-goldeneye-0863-ron-dudley\\"")
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leaving him in the proverbial dust. He looks a little flummoxed if you ask me.<\/p>\n
He didn’t take it well.<\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/common-goldeneye-0866-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"common-goldeneye-0866-ron-dudley\\"")
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As soon as she passed him he veered off, settled back down in the water and just quit. A poor loser with hurt pride?<\/p>\n
Perhaps he didn’t like being bested by another species. Or by a girl. Or both.<\/p>\n
Ron<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Having fun with anthropomorphism.<\/p>\n