![\"canada-goose-2183-ron-dudley\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/canada-goose-2183-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\nIn an effort to escape the construction mess at my home I visited a local pond yesterday morning to see if I could find any interesting birds to photograph. That time of day I had to walk to the far side of the pond to\u00a0get an acceptable light angle so I was shooting with a tripod instead of from my pickup. The temps were in the low 20’s and there was a\u00a0frigid breeze so within about 40 minutes my\u00a0hands were frozen to the point that they literally wouldn’t function so I had to give up.<\/p>\n
But I did come home with several nice shots of Canada Geese in flight and some images of a very interesting goose hybrid.<\/p>\n
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1\/2500, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II,<\/em> Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\n This is probably my favorite image from that short session. I like the slight head turn toward me with good eye contact, the fanned tail, the even light on the bird and the background. The goose is a little tight in the frame but I can live with that.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/2500, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II,<\/em> Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\n But this hybrid goose was the most interesting subject on the pond. I’ve seen it several times in the past week but it’s always been too far away and in poor light but this time it was relatively close and the light was good. I believe it to be a Canada Goose X Snow Goose hybrid but I can’t be sure. I suppose it’s also possible that it’s a cross between a Canada Goose and a Greater White-fronted Goose.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/2500, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II,<\/em> Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\n Here’s a look at more of the bird, including those unusual pinkish legs. The typical Canada Goose in the background provides a fairly good comparison between the two. Even the hybrid’s bill color is different from that of a Canada Goose.<\/p>\n I see hybrid wild ducks fairly often in the field but a hybrid Canada Goose was a new experience for me so I thought it deserved some attention.<\/p>\n And I re-learned\u00a0a valuable lesson yesterday morning – never, and I do mean\u00a0never!<\/em>, forget\u00a0to carry\u00a0chemical hand warmers when there’s a possibility that you’ll be shooting from a tripod in the dead of winter. My first stop after I\u00a0arrived home from the pond and stored my gear was a trip to Walmart (ugh…) to replenish my supply.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I see hybrid wild ducks fairly often in the field but a hybrid Canada Goose was a new experience for me.<\/p>\n![\"canada-goose-hybrid-1953-ron-dudley\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/canada-goose-hybrid-1953-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"canada-goose-hybrid-1984-ron-dudley\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/canada-goose-hybrid-1984-ron-dudley.jpg\")
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