CWEnder Fred Ricks, who is in my Saturday morning yoga class, introduced me to Danny Brown's blog which I am so happy to share with you. Tracy Boaz, Fred's wife, works at the Missouri Department of Conservation with Danny, who is a fabulous, fabulous photographer. Each Friday Danny adds a post to his blog, Nature Frames. I have put a link to Nature Frames under "CWE Links" on the right sidebar of this blog, so you can check in once in a while, or subscribe yourself.
Now meet the gorgeous Hooded Mergansers which Danny discovered recently in Forest Park and read his post below.
November 30, 2012
Last weekend, the day after Thanksgiving, I added a new species to my Forest Park photography list—the hooded merganser.
It was my third morning in a row of before-daylight starts and I’d
already sat for almost four hours waiting for a stubborn kingfisher. A
northwest cold front was blowing through and I decided to stick around
for another hour or two as long as the clouds continued to filter the
sun’s rays. I hadn’t made one keeper image during the three mornings at
Forest Park and just when I was beginning to feel like the set-up I’d
been adjusting from day-to-day was wrong—yet again—I heard the jet
engine roar of……divers? A second later, three hooded merganser hens
dropped from the sky at my feet. As soon as they hit the water the lead
bird swung around to get her bearings and gave me a great pose. I just
put the center autofocus point on her eye and started clicking. I was
lucky to catch her with her bill open enough to see the serrations that
make this diving species lethal to fish. I’d never seen a merganser in
Forest Park before but I immediately knew what I had as I’ve
photographed them at other locations. Right after I captured this image
all three of the tiny hens headed to the bank and began resting near
some woody cover. They never moved from that position which was at an
impossible angle for a shot. I assumed they were tired from flying all
night.
The female hooded merganser is not even in the ballpark with the
drake, looks-wise, but she is quite a sight with her copper-colored punk
hair. I’ve attached an image of a drake for comparison (click on it to
make it larger if you like) so you can see the dramatic gender contrast
in the appearance of this species. I was hesitant to post a photo of the
drake as it will likely steal some thunder from this sweet little hen.
By the way, I photographed the drake at Marais Temps Clair Conservation
Area and the image, my best ever for this species, has been featured in
several publications.
I like to use the drake image in workshops as an example of what can be
done with a 300/4 lens for those who are unwilling or unable to commit
to 500/4 which cost an additional $8000 to $9000. Using a 300/4 for duck
and songbird photography requires much more preparation regarding your
position and camouflage but it can be done if you are patient and
persistent. Adding a 1.4 TC to the 300/4 is a big help but it really
slows the autofocus down on my Canon, a problem for flight photography.
Hooded mergansers are a hoot to watch during the spring breeding
season because the drake throws his head back and makes a loud grunt
from his throat, kind of a guttural errr, errr. During that time he
assembles his head feathers into a bizarre hour-glass shape. Spring is
also a great time to witness some intense fighting between drake
mergansers. These little sawbills can be downright vicious!
Please enjoy these merganser images as this species is much nicer to
look at than to eat. I once tried to cook a merganser in a crock pot
years ago and the result was a fishy-tasting, black pulp that reminded
me of melted licorice…..disgusting!
Hen Hooded Merganser: Canon 1DMarkIV; Canon 500/4 L IS with 1.4
TC; 1/200 @ f/5.6; ISO 400; RAW Capture; Gitzo GT3530LS Tripod with
Wimberley II Head; Processed in Canon Digital Photo Professional (DPP)
Drake Hooded Merganser: Canon 40D; Canon 300/4 L IS; 1/500 @
f/4.5; ISO 200; RAW Capture; Feisol CT3301 Tripod with Markins M-10
Ballhead; Processed in Canon Digital Photo Professional (DPP)
New Publication: You might also enjoy my latest
article in the December issue of “Missouri Conservationist” on Woodland
Voles. You can find it online at:
http://mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2012/12/plants-and-animals
Website Gallery Addition: I just added a gallery to my website: “The Wildlife of Forest Park.” Please take a look when you get a moment.
Thanks for Looking!
DB
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Patty: I too love the photos of the mergansers and perhaps she is Cashin-y. However, I CANNOT take credit for the gorgeous photos. They are all Danny’s amazing work. What a fabulous photographer!! Thanks for the comment.
Nicki, your photos, as always, are terrific.
Mergansers quite fashion-y : the mama is wearing Bonnie Cashin,
not sure about the drake. Patty