It’s been months since I have seen any Hooded Merganser ducks (Lophodytes cucullatus), so I was thrilled when I spotted several pairs in the distance this past weekend, swimming around as shown in the second photo.
Unfortunately, they sensed my presence before I could get much closer and took to the air. Given the distance and the small size and speed of these ducks, I was surprised that I got a reasonably good shot of one of the males in flight. Hooded Mergansers always look a little cartoonish, but that effect is magnified when they are straining forward in flight. If you click on the first photo, you can get a better look at some of the details of the wings and some of the beautiful colors of this little duck.
The second photo was taken before the first and it gives you a general idea of the differences between the male and female of this colorful species of duck.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Great catch!
Thanks. I was fortunate that I managed to track the duck as he was taking off and focus on him–lots of luck involved in getting this shot.
What awesome flight shot!! You really caught the bird’s personality!!!
Catching birds in flight is difficult enough but also capturing that wonderful background is a double victory. Well done. I was curious why you preferred the slight tilt to the photo rather than straightening it.
Thanks for the compliments and the keen eye, Lyle. I didn’t notice a tilt when I was working on the image, but now it seems to be tilting a little downwards. Is that the same direction in which you seen it tilting?
Yes it is. I have, over time, been sensitized (or perhaps overly sensitized) to horizons and shorelines being level so I tend to look for it involuntarily now. Of course that doesn’t mean you can’t take artistic licence and do whatever you want with it which is why I asked.
I went back the uncropped image, which includes a number of trees, and I am astounded to see that they are all tilted to the right. How did I miss that? I’ll have to be a bit more conscientious, so that in the future a tilted horizon or shore is a creative choice, not an oversight.
I’m guessing you were focused on a lot of things when working with this photo and when that happens, it’s easy to miss one detail. I put together an Apple book once and the cover photo shows a sunset on a calm lake that’s gloriously tilting away for no good reason.
Beautiful shots, Mike. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the mergansers wings in flight, at least close enough to see that color pattern. They rival the wood ducks in beauty.
Thanks. That’s what really struck me as well,Sue. I was almost shocked to be able to get that much detail.
I wonder, if you straightened out that little bit of tilt in the photo, if the duck would look like it was flying “uphill.” It looks good and level as it is.
It’s always tough to tell if a photo is level when the shoreline (in this case) is uneven. I’m ok with the photo as it is and I like the duck flying almost level, though I may play around with the image anyways and see what happens when I raise the right side a bit.