Pair of Blue-winged Teal on a log in early morning light – Canon R7, beanbag, f10, 1/1250, ISO 800, -0.7 EV, Canon RF 100-500mm at 500mm, natural light
On my most recent trip to Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, I photographed a pair of Blue-winged Teal on a log in Miner’s Cove in soft morning light.
I don’t have as many Blue-winged Teal photos as I would like to have, in part because they weren’t all that common in Utah, and they can be skittish here. Especially during and right after the hunting season.
Blue-winged Teal are dabbling ducks. The drake is seen on the left side of the log and the hen on the right. I see these small ducks in the sloughs and on the Arkansas River at the refuge almost year round.
The bold white crescent by the bill of adult males makes them easy to identify.
This pair of Blue-winged Teal flew off not long after I took this image because a Bald Eagle flew over the cove on a hunting mission. I was delighted to have these ducks in my viewfinder for as long as I did.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Blue-winged Teal photos plus facts and information about this species.
Wonderful colors and composition. Lots to look at in this shot. Thanks Mia.