Female Hooded Merganser lifting off from the Bear River – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/4000, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I spotted a single female Hooded Merganser on the Bear River two days ago and photographed her as she ran on top of the water to lift off. Of the twenty photos I took of the hen Hooded Merganser lifting off only this one image was acceptably sharp.
The hen Hooded Merganser wasn’t close but she wasn’t too far away either. I believe that I got lucky that this one image was sharp considering that the engine of the vehicle I was in was still running. The other photos of her were very soft.
Tip: When using a vehicle as a mobile blind always make sure the engine is off because vibrations from the engine can cause issues with sharpness especially with long lenses. The vibrations are worse with longer focal lengths.
Despite having 19 images that are going into my delete bin I am happy that I was able to take this one sharp photo of the hen. I like her pose, the light, the action, her reflection, and the splashing water behind the hen Hooded Merganser.
Close hen Hooded Merganser at Glover Pond – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
Early last December I was delighted to have several Hooded Mergansers up close and in great light closer to home at Glover Pond just before the pond iced over. Because of the ice shelf boxing the birds into a small area close to the edge of the pond I had the opportunity to take a lovely series of images of the mergansers where they filled my frame.
While I was at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge two days ago I also saw a small flock of mixed Common and Red-breasted Mergansers floating down the Bear River. I hope to see and photograph all three species of North American mergansers this winter. I might find them as early as this morning at a pond close to home that I plan on checking out after sunrise.
By the way, we finally had our first snow in the valley yesterday and more may fall this morning. Now it actually looks like winter outside my living room window.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Hooded Merganser photos plus facts and information about this species.
So cool! Love the first pic. I’ve never seen anything quite like that action shot. What A beautiful bird! Thanks Mia.
Such a great action shot! We got just a touch of rain yesterday, but more is in the forecast for next week. So glad you got some snow. It’s going to take a lot to put a dent in our current droughts, but I’m still hopeful!
How I love that shot of her running on water.
I am glad that you got some snow, and hope that it will go so way to alleviating your desperate water shortage…
What a fantastic photos the first one is! To actually get her running on the water! Wow! The second photos is pretty awesome too. I found out very early on not to run the engine in the car while taking photos. Especially when you have an old rattle-trap!