One bird, one pond, two minutes, and yet the water looks so different in each shot. Plus the photograph showing what startled last week’s Brown Goshawk.
Canon 5DSR, Canon 200-400L IS USM EXT
One of my favourite places is the Blue Lotus Water Garden in the Yarra Valley. The ponds, waterlilies, gardens and birdlife blend to create a place of beauty and tranquility. Hardheads, White-eyed Ducks, are listed as Endangered in Victoria and have been removed from this year’s list of ducks that shooters are permitted to target – though doubtless many will be lost during the duck shooting season.
It was fascinating to watch this duck as it paddled towards me before turning and paddling in the other direction. I found myself focussing on the bow wave and the wake, and the play of light on the ripples. The reflection of clouds, lilies and flowers changed as the duck moved across the water. I’m sharing nine of these images today, and the water looks different in each one, some differences are more subtle than others.
I’m going to show all the images together so the differences in the colour of the water is easier to compare. Hardhead males have a white-eye while the females eye is dark. They are gorgeous chocolate brown birds with white underwings, undertail and breast patch. The tips of their bills are pale blue. They are true diving ducks, feeding on aquatic plants and animals.
I’d love to know if any of the water colours particularly appeal to you as the duck crossed the pond. I think my favourites are 4, 8 and 9.
And now for the reveal – this is what startled the Brown Goshawk:
Congratulations to everyone who was game to guess what may have startled the goshawk, and special congratulations to Marj and Margaret for mentioning another bird. I heard the ‘attacker’ calling as I was photographing the goshawk’s startled response, luckily I kept my finger on the shutter button or I wouldn’t have captured this (terrible) shot.
Happy birding, Kim
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Ah! So I was right! Hehe. Now please tell me who was the photo bomber? By the colour on the wings, looks like a Magpie but head doesn’t seem to match?
The photos of the Duck are gorgeous, Kim, and I think the same as the ones you chose after much deliberation. They were all so beautiful. Amazing how much the water changes as the bird glides across it.
Hope you had a lovely Easter, Kim.
Yes, congratulations! My memory is that I heard a currawong calling but the white on the wings definitely looks like a magpie. I wondered for a while if it was the light playing on a currawong’s wings but I don’t think it is. I think the head looks distorted because of the relatively slow shutter speed, 1/800, and the DOF. I love the way you worded your sentence about the duck gliding across the water – that’s exactly the scene I’d wanted to portray but I don’t think I worded it so well.
I had a lovely Easter, thank you, I hope you did too
It’s definitely the one with all the colours for me Kim.
I think that’s my favourite too 🙂
Water is SUCH a benison isn’t it. And watching the play of light on it is a delight – and a soul soother. Birds as well? Bonus. Big bonus.Thank you.
And thank you for the update on the startled goshawk being ‘bombed).
I had to use the dictionary to remember the definition of ‘benison’, thank you! It was a truly delightful day, thank goodness.