We had been talking about the lack of Wood Ducks lately.

Finally a few came out of hiding. There were actually four males, however I could not get more than two together for the same shot. Taken at a distance, so large view is better.

The colors and markings on the males all look almost hand painted.

I was at a disadvantage the morning I shot these. There are day carrying the big heavy gear is not a good idea. To my surprise these came out OK. I still have a love/hate relationship with my Tamron 18-400, and this was in low light.

That said, photographer Mike Powell gets great shots with the same lens. It must be true, it’s not the gear, it’s the photographer. 😁