Sometimes it’s almost essential to see something lovely, something joyous. I hope this week’s happy ducks bring you a smile or two.
I photographed this Grey Teal a while ago and seriously love the smile on its face. Its eye looks so red that it reminds me of a photograph I took of an Eastern Spinebill where its irises looked so red that I actually felt the need to desaturate them a little.
The look on this Maned Duck’s face is so comical. To me it looks as though we were sharing a good joke. I was using a prime 600mm lens which was a bit long when this beautiful bird came too close to take anything other than portraits. This duck and the others with it happily foraged around me for a few hours. There were plenty of other places they could have wandered to but they seemed almost curious about what I was doing. As I write this I’m imagining it from their perspective. I must have looked most peculiar lying on the damp grass amongst the duck poop.
I took this portrait on the same day as the ‘smiling’ one directly above and have shared it to show the difference a shaft of sunlight makes to an image. I love the added warmth and texture from the feathers of its ‘mane’ right down to the white tipped feathers of its lower neck and shoulders.
Wherever you are in the world I hope that nature brings you some smiles this week.
Happy birding, Kim
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