Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 6
OPENING SHOT
Taking flight
Photo: by Victor Schendel
Gear: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Settings: 1/4000 sec, f/8, ISO 2500
I
photographed these American wigeons at
the Hutton Lake National Wildlife Refuge
southwest of Laramie. Also known as a
baldpate, these birds are medium-sized
dabbling ducks that inhabit much of North
America during their migrations. They
occupy shallow wetlands, including ponds,
marshes and rivers. The male has a broad,
dark green patch which extends from just
behind the eye to the neck and has a bluishgray bill with a black tip. The female is a dull
gray and rusty brown. Their call is a high,
squeaky whistle resembling a dog toy.
Getting sharp images of ducks in flight
takes a bit of luck, stalking skills, patience,
practice and fast camera action. Wigeons
flush easily so it's important to stay low and
stalk them with great patience. I usually wear
a heavy, camouflaged coat because winter
and wind can make for a miserable shoot
if I can't stay warm. Ducks, in general, will
move away from people if they're suddenly
startled. To get the shots of them flying
toward you, I recommend getting close,
sometimes within 10-15 yards and staying
patient. With a bit of luck, they'll eventually
fly and sometimes right toward you. I don't
use a blind or tripod for bird photography.
Tripods get in the way during a stalk and
they're hard to set up without being seen.
Blinds, on the other hand, will work but I
prefer to move rather than wait.
As far as practice is concerned, it's
important to understand the settings of
your camera and how to adjust them at a
moment's notice. Over many years and a lot
of blown images, shots like these are still
uncommon but less infrequent. Capturing
birds of any kind in flight continues to be one
of my passions.
6 | January 2021
Wyoming Wildlife magazine
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wyoming Wildlife magazine
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 1
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