![\"redhead](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/redhead-9561-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\nClearly I don’t post ducks as often as I should. This morning’s post is an effort to partially rectify that situation.<\/p>\n
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1\/3200, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II,<\/em> Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\n In my view the only ducks that I\u00a0see regularly\u00a0that\u00a0approach the elegance of male\u00a0Pintails and Canvasbacks are the handsome Redheads. Though quite similar to Canvasbacks the\u00a0black tipped\u00a0blue-gray bill\u00a0with a white subterminal band of the Redhead drake gives it a distinctive flair that I admire. I photographed this male\u00a0just over a week ago at Farmington Bay WMA. Much of the time he just floated around the pond looking handsome and a little haughty, which made me think of the following quote from humorist\u00a0Mark Twain:<\/p>\n Perhaps the quote also applies to ducks. He certainly seemed somewhat aloof from the other birds on the pond and the reddish-brown color of his head could easily be\u00a0described as auburn. But the name “Auburnhead” just wouldn’t have quite the same ring to it…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/4000, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II,<\/em> Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\n That’s not to say he didn’t lose some of his dignity and look a little goofy at times. Twice when he scratched his head with one foot he stuck out his alternate leg and foot\u00a0behind him in a sort of awkward\u00a0balancing act that reminded me a little of a typical grebe pose.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/3200, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II,<\/em> Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\n Redheads are diving ducks but this pond is shallow enough that when he was feeding he acted more like a dabbler and fed from the surface. When he would raise his head out of the water he would often\u00a0rise up from the surface slightly and give a little shake but it was always less vigorous (and more dignified)\u00a0than I’ve come\u00a0to expect from most aquatic birds.<\/p>\n I’d have preferred to have more room at the top of the frame in this shot but the image is full frame and I chose not to add canvas.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/5000, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II,<\/em> Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\n Several times he gave me a wing flap during the shaking\u00a0process but usually when he did it there was a small but annoying patch of phragmites between me and the bird.\u00a0He seemed to move into that position before he flapped just to aggravate me.\u00a0Thankfully our recent heavy snow has knocked that phrag patch down so it will no longer be a problem.<\/p>\n In fact, most of the Farmington phrags have now been flattened by the snow. It looks like a completely different place now and I enjoy the change of scene and the more expansive vistas.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n Note: Redhead hens are notorious for nest parasitism – to the point that they’re sometimes called “parasite queens”. Personally I find it curious that they’re not vilified for the practice to the extent that Brown-headed Cowbirds are. In both cases it’s a natural behavior so I have no problem with it\u00a0(and yes, I’m aware of the effects\u00a0of cowbird nest parasitism on Kirtland’s Warblers and other songbird species…)<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In my view the only ducks that I see regularly that approach the elegance of male Pintails and Canvasbacks are the handsome Redheads.<\/p>\n\n
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