![\"pintail](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/pintail-0636-ron-dudley.jpg\")
1\/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<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nI don’t post ducks often, largely because in the places I\u00a0regularly shoot I can seldom get the low angle on them that I prefer as they sit on the water but I thought\u00a0I’d make an exception for this guy. He and his lady\u00a0hung around the 4-way pond at Farmington for several days earlier this month, possibly seeking\u00a0refuge from the myriads of hunters. His striking patterns and colors really stood out among the coots and Pied-billed Grebes he was swimming with.<\/p>\n
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\u00a0the 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).<\/p>\n
This is one of the\u00a0last 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.<\/p>\n