Mandarin ducks
Dec 6, 2019 18:50:20 #
shelty wrote:
It could be that someone had purchased them and set them free in someones pond. We had a pair down here in a local park pond.
I believe these are probably escapees from a local breeder. There have been reports of another pair at a park in Canby, OR, about 20 miles farther south, though I'm not sure if they're different ducks, or if these are the same ones who have just moved a bit farther north. The ones in my photos appear to be living as wild ducks at a large park in Portland, along with many wood ducks and various other seasonal residents.
Dec 6, 2019 18:51:29 #
paulrph1 wrote:
Thanks for post such beautiful and sharp images. I was beginning to wonder if it was me. Some of the photos are not as tack sharp as yours are, I was wondering if it was my eyes or them. Some are not holding their cameras as still as they could, I believe.
It probably helps that I use a tripod for all my bird photos... ;)
Dec 6, 2019 18:56:25 #
Mustanger wrote:
I have a small pond close by my house in Southern ... (show quote)
Wood ducks and mandarins are closely related - they are the only two species in their genus - and probably could hybridize... Mandarin females look a lot like wood duck hens, but have a wash of purple on their heads and bills, with green on their wings, and the white eye-ring sweeps back toward their nape much farther than it does on wood ducks (see the third photo in my series...).
These shots were taken with a 600mm lens on a tripod, at distances ranging from 20 to 50 feet.
Dec 6, 2019 18:58:56 #
Dec 6, 2019 19:06:11 #
SQUIRL033 wrote:
Canon 7D Mk II with Tamron 150-600 lens...
Thanks! I have the 90D and Tamron 150-600, not sure what I think of the 90d yet. Took it on safari and preferred my 5D MIV with 100-400 and 1.4 ext. Was restricted on weight to Tamron did not go.
Dec 6, 2019 19:22:29 #
It is not surprising that the females of Wood and Mandarin ducks look similar. The females are colored to be inconspicuous on the nest.
Dec 6, 2019 20:00:22 #
Dec 6, 2019 22:37:10 #
Dec 6, 2019 23:22:37 #
Photolady2014 wrote:
Thanks! I have the 90D and Tamron 150-600, not sure what I think of the 90d yet. Took it on safari and preferred my 5D MIV with 100-400 and 1.4 ext. Was restricted on weight to Tamron did not go.
I'm waiting for the 7D MkIII. Some say it will never come, some think it might. Personally, given the capability and popularity of the 7D2, I think Canon would be fools to let that product line die, but they seem to be doing everything they can to force people in to mirrorless. I expect if the 7DIII never comes, I'll buy a 90D as a poor second choice; it lacks several key features of the 7DII, but it is at least a modest improvement in low-light performance, and offers more resolution. I just don't see it as a camera worthy of the "flagship" designation for Canon's APS-c DSLRs... If money were no object, I'd get a 1Dx Mk III, but I'm living on social security, so even a new 7D model would be a major purchase for me. And I want a crop sensor for the added reach it gives me over a FF body...
Dec 6, 2019 23:23:33 #
hassighedgehog wrote:
It is not surprising that the females of Wood and Mandarin ducks look similar. The females are colored to be inconspicuous on the nest.
That and the fact that woodies and mandarins are actually closely related...
Dec 7, 2019 00:28:15 #
If this is bad light and high ISO, I shudder to think what you could do with more light. Outstanding!
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