Bufflehead takeoff

Feeds:: Posts; Comments

Bufflehead takeoff

February 9, 2018 by Mike Powell

Although many ducks take to the air straight out of the water, some of them, like this tiny Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) need to get a running start. It is simultaneously fascinating and amusing to watch them bounding across the surface of the water to generate enough lift for take-off.

I saw quite a few Buffleheads today at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, but most of them were far away—diving ducks seem to prefer the deep water. This male Bufflehead was on his own a bit closer to the shore than the others. I had barely enough time to focus on him before he took off, but fortunately he was moving parallel to me, so I was able to retain focus on the bird and capture some of the water spikes that he was generating.

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter | Tagged Bucephala albeola, bufflehead, Canon 50D, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA | 7 Comments

7 Responses

on February 10, 2018 at 6:57 am | Reply Jodi

Great capture
on February 10, 2018 at 7:30 am | Reply Ellen Jennings

Great action shots!
on February 10, 2018 at 7:45 am | Reply Dan Antion

Looks a bit like my most recent flight. I thought we were going to run out of runway.
- on February 10, 2018 at 7:59 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Yikes! Fortunately the Bufflehead had lots of runway. 🙂
on February 10, 2018 at 10:01 am | Reply Laura (PA Pict)

Fantastic action shots!
- on February 10, 2018 at 10:41 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Laura. As I recall, you tend to enjoy the shots that show action or other behavior more than static portraits–so do I.
  - on February 10, 2018 at 11:00 am Laura (PA Pict)
    
    I do love the portraits too because I enjoy seeing the details. I find the action shots and behavioral stuff to be educational though which is why I am always delighted to see those.