Northern Shovelers in flight

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Northern Shovelers in flight

December 19, 2015 by Mike Powell

After a week and a half overseas in an urban environment, it was nice Friday to get back to the wildlife of Huntley Meadows Park, where I saw this Northern Shoveler couple preparing to make a landing.

I accidentally spooked the Northern Shovelers (Anas clypeata) when I was approaching the area in which they were foraging for food. I first caught sight of them when they took to the air. Although they flew only a short distance away, I was able to react quickly enough to track them and get a few in-flight shots that show their beautiful coloration.

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, Anas clypeata, birds in flight, Canon 50D, Huntley Meadows Park, Northern Shoveler, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto | 9 Comments

9 Responses

on December 19, 2015 at 1:55 am | Reply Charlie@Seattle Trekker

Such gorgeous action shots, I can’t image the patience and time it took to get those images.
on December 19, 2015 at 6:42 am | Reply Victor Rakmil

Great shots.
on December 19, 2015 at 6:43 am | Reply Dan Antion

Nicely done Mike!
on December 19, 2015 at 8:44 am | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

Those are great shots, nice and sharp, and you couldn’t ask for a better background.
on December 20, 2015 at 12:32 am | Reply svtakeiteasy

Great shots of the shovelers in flight, and I love the blue!
on December 20, 2015 at 9:37 am | Reply Ginny Alfano

Awesome shots, Mike! Shovelers are my favorite duck :).
- on December 20, 2015 at 12:13 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  I was born in Massachusetts, so I have a long history of being a Northern shoveler myself–and I love the ducks too. 🙂
  - on December 22, 2015 at 8:16 pm Ginny Alfano
    
    LOL, Mike! I guess that makes me a Northern shoveler, too!!!
on December 22, 2015 at 10:56 am | Reply Sue

Really nice in-flight shots, and the background really sets off the colors of the ducks nicely. You really do a nice job of positioning yourself to get the right composition.