1\/3200, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\nFour days ago, in-between opportunities to photograph coyotes along the Antelope Island Causeway, I entertained myself by trying to photograph ducks in flight.<\/p>\n
Somehow I managed to keep my focus point locked on this male Green-winged Teal as he swooped down to land amongst the masses of ducks basking in the sun along the shore. The ducks were so thick he had a hard time finding an open spot to land, which slowed him down enough to make it a little easier for me to keep my active focus point locked on him. With flying ducks I need all the help I can get and Green-winged Teals are our smallest dabbling duck so they’re an unusually difficult target to track in flight.<\/p>\n
Northern Shovelers are the most common species along the causeway but there are also good numbers of Green-winged Teals and this guy decided to land amongst a group of ducks that were mostly of his kind. I was pretty happy to get him as sharp as I did with the other ducks and even the water in the background so close to him.<\/p>\n
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A tighter crop of the same photo makes him larger in the frame and allows the viewer to better appreciate what a challenge it was for him to find an open spot to land. He didn’t have much time to make a decision, especially at the speed of a landing duck.<\/p>\n
It was tightly packed groups of ducks like this that the coyotes would rush in an attempt to snag one. In the resulting chaos and confusion it was often pretty easy for them to snatch one right out of the air.<\/p>\n
The ducks are mostly gone now, at least they were by midmorning two days ago which was the last time I was there. Our warming temperatures have melted much of the ice around the lake so I suspect they’re dispersing to the increasing amount of open water available to them.<\/p>\n
It was a blast while it lasted.<\/p>\n
Ron<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Landing amongst the masses isn’t easy.<\/p>\n
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