I photographed this male two days ago while he was diving for food\u00a0on a partially frozen pond near my home. Like most bird photographers I try to get diving shots when I can but many diving species are so quick that their head and eye are\u00a0often already underwater by the time of\u00a0our first shutter click. But if we can anticipate<\/em> the dive our chances of getting a series of\u00a0shots of the entire diving process vastly improve.<\/p>\n And that requires noticing and interpreting\u00a0subtle behaviors.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/800, f\/7.1, ISO 400, 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>\n Here the bird is at momentary rest in-between dives. Notice the shape of his head and back and his head position\u00a0– the feathers on the top of his head and back are slightly fluffed up giving each a distinctive shape and his head is tucked down against his body.<\/p>\n But with this and several other species of diving birds two things\u00a0happen\u00a0a split-second before the next dive:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/800, f\/7.1, ISO 400, 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>\n The changes are subtle but the differences can be noticed by the attentive photographer. Compare the shape of the head and the back in this photo to the previous one – here the duck has flattened those feathers in preparation for the imminent dive, resulting in changes in shape. I call this “slicking their hair down” before the dive.<\/p>\n It’s at this point that I begin my burst.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/800, f\/7.1, ISO 400, 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>\n In the next shot of the burst the duck has extended his neck slightly and pulled his head back before…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/800, f\/7.1, ISO 400, 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>\n thrusting his head forward at the beginning of the dive. For the rest of the process all the photographer has to do is keep the shutter button depressed (assuming burst mode has been programmed into the camera settings) and\u00a0keep the bird in focus as the dive progresses.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/800, f\/7.1, ISO 400, 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>\n This is the shot that escapes so many\u00a0novice\u00a0bird photographers because they’re too slow on the trigger.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/1600, f\/7.1, ISO 400, 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>\n Readers know that I’m fascinated by water columns and\u00a0splashes in my photos. Here the adhesive and cohesive properties of water are causing a column of\u00a0it to be “sucked up” by the rising rump and tail of the duck and that ascending\u00a0water…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/2000, f\/7.1, ISO 400, 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>\n is flung outward and upward in an interesting pattern as the duck descends into the water.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/1600, f\/7.1, ISO 400, 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>\n The streamlined shape of the duck allows a clean entry…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/greater-scaup-7894-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"greater-scaup-7894-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\n\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n