StellersJay_2825
by hahn23

Comment:
Wow...amazing blue coloring, and that incredible crown of feathers on his head! The lighting really makes it pop, too.

NorthernFlicker_2877
by hahn23

Comment:
Wow....what a striking and beautiful bird. Most of ours are pretty boring around here...the tree birds, that is. nice job with teh DOF blurring a busy background.

3
by cdpayne

Comment:
Thank you! :)

IMG_3648
by cdpayne

Comment:
Yeah, it's ridiculously hard to get a shot of this duck close....as he rarely comes this close to the shore of the lake.

Male Wood Duck
by cdpayne

Comment:
Come to San Diego, and I will take you to see more wood ducks than you can shoot in a day...LOL. They really are an amazingly beautiful duck!

Mallard Duck
by cdpayne

Comment:
I love that the perfect angle on his head here shows hint of the green you see when they are coming at you, and the purple you see when they are going away from you.

Hybrid Mallard Duck
by cdpayne

Comment:
Just wait till I upload what I call the "Dalmation Duck" that also lives here...lol. These ducks here...well...I doubt they are very selective of which other ducks they choose to mate with.

Hybrid Mallard Duck
by cdpayne

Comment:
scooter - The purple head on a mallard is when you view them from behind, with the duck between you and the sun. The same duck swimming towards you will look like it has a green head. I love that about them. I see the same effect on the shovel nose duck at these lakes.

This duck's head is mostly black with a very faint hint of a dark green stripe going back from his eye, which is a characteristic of a different duck seen at these lakes a lot...so I'm sure there's a lot of interbreeding going on here.

Female Wood Duck
by cdpayne

Comment:
Yeah, I have to say that this was a great find on this lens. I got it about $100 cheaper than I should have...and I had to improve my skills to pull myself up to its level! Took me about 3 outtings to learn to use it properly.

Sparrow?
by cdpayne

Comment:
Thanks for the ID verification, and the comments :)

I almost always go for that glint in the eye. It seems to really make the shot, most times.