Hooded Merganser stretching wings on pond
Female hooded merganser stretching wings on water
Female hooded merganser stretching wings on water
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SONY ILCE-7RM2
Aperture f/5.6 ISO 1000 Shutter 1/800 Focal Length 400/1 
Seattle, Washington, US
Feb, 2020Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
Photo was taken in Magnuson Park in Seattle where there are lots of wetlands frequented by various types of ducks and in this case a Hooded Merganser.Time
I was not expecting to see much wildlife at the park that day because I was interested in taking pictures of insects after the sun came up to warm the reeds, grass, shrubs and trees. This was taken about 10:00 am when I approached a pond that often has lots of flying insects and I happened to see two Merganser working their way around the pond.Lighting
This was not the best light for this shot because it was chance that I came upon this bird and I had to stay still for a while until they came close. Unfortunately I was on the wrong side of the pond for the best light but I had to take the shot anyway and was fortunate enough to get this one as the animal stretched its wings.Equipment
I used a Sony A77II with a Tamron 150-600mm lens hand held.Inspiration
I had just arrived at this pond and noticed these birds swimming nearby and did not recognize what they were at first but after observing them for a few minutes realized they were hooded so I was interested in getting a shot if I could. It worked out that I could get a few shots before they moved out of range into even worse light.Editing
Post is in Adobe Lightroom with usual RAW processing to try to enhance the bad lighting.In my camera bag
In cases like this I typically carry a small wipe to clean my lens, an air duster, a small brush to clean the lens, mosquito repellent and either a mono-pod or a tripodFeedback
Always be ready for the unexpected. In this case I had never seen Hooded Mergansers at this park before and seeing them was very unexpected. While it would have been nice to move to the other side of the pond to get better lighting, it was not wise since to do so meant I would not have got anything. In this case I at least got a shot.
