As I was scanning a group of Ring-necked Ducks and Canada Geese earlier this week, I noticed a pair of ducks that looked different, very different from the others. Their colors were unusual, but what really set them apart was their tails that stood almost straight up. I think that I encountered ones like this once before, but I couldn’t remember what species they were.
Fortunately I got some decent shots and was able to find them in my identification guide when I returned home—they turned out to be a pair of Ruddy Ducks (Oxyura jamaicensis). The light was bright and producing a lot of glare off of the water and ice and I didn’t managed to get any good shots of the female, but here are a few images of the male.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Nice tail feathers; I’ve never seen one of these before.
The faces are great.
Lovely, wonder what it saw looking up.
I think he was posing in that second shot.
Did you buy the Yonguo flash you were considering? I’m thinking a little fill flash would have helped to show more detail on the duck head.
Er, that should say Yongnuo. Darn predictive spelling!
You are probably right, though I am not sure that I would get much additional fill light at 600mm unless I get a Better Beamer or something like that.(and I might have trouble holding steady without at least a monopod at the regular sync speed of 1/250 sec.)
Gee Mike! We are both lucky with our duck encounters!
We are having unusually cold weather and I may try to venture out and see if anything else unusual has stopped in to visit our area.
It is always such a treat to find something new to identify.
New species are indeed a treat. Fortunately this one turned out to be pretty easy to identify.
I’ve seen hooded mergansers and buffleheads in Seneca Creek State Park so far this winter–but no ruddy ducks, which I would love to see! Nice shots.
Thanks. There was only a single pair of Ruddy Ducks in the midst of a group of Ring-necked Ducks. I’m learning that it pays attention to check out groups carefully–there may be multiple species together.