Hooded Merganser takeoff on Christmas Day
December 26, 2014 by Mike Powell
On Christmas Day I managed to fit in a short walk at Huntley Meadows Park, my local marshland park, and captured these images of a pair of Hooded Mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus) as they took off from the water and started to gain altitude.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Birds, Christmas, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter | Tagged Alexandria VA, birds in flight, Canon 50D, Hooded Merganser, Hooded Merganser ducks, Huntley Meadows Park, Lophodytes cucullatus, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto | 10 Comments
Mike Powell 
Incredible. I know how difficult thes birds are. Wonderful sequence.
Thanks, Victor. I was a pretty good distance from these ducks, in the underbrush surrounding the pond, and I was a bit surprised when they somehow sensed my presence. I somehow managed to track them and was really happy when I saw that many of the photos in the sequence were in focus.
I know a lot of photographers chased these birds and got nothing. I have some series coming in the newt months, but none in flight.
Really like the last shot – kinda follows on from the Mallard ones with the wings in different positions on both birds.
Thanks. The last photo is my favorite one too and I was going to lead with that one, but decided to present them in chronological order. In general, it’s a lot tougher for me to get shots of Hooded Mergansers than Mallards, because the Hoodies are smaller, more skittish, and tend to hang out in deeper water.
The last one is my pick, too. I wish you also a happy and productive takeoff into the New Year, Mike!
Thanks, Gary. Best wishes to you too for a prosperous and healthy new year.
How lovely! Well caught 🙂
Great Christmas present
Wow, nice shots of birds in flight.