Reflected Ducks

With some good weather I have been very busy out with the camera over the last week. From local waders to Otters, Red Deer and a 14 hour day photographing Red Grouse. I even visited the nearby Hilbre Island for a day having not been there for over 15 years, which is terrible really as it is on my doorstep.
This post is of a few incidental Ducks that I photographed that caught my eye with their nice reflections.

Gadwall

Teal

Teal

Shoveler

Shoveler

Flight Shots

A quick trip to my local RSPB reserve the other evening turned out to be quite productive. I went hoping to photograph Garganey, a pair had been reported but as I suspected they were far too distant to photograph. There was little about and I was intending to leave but thought I would give it half an hour. It was a good decision, a lot of birds flying around and the low light made for some nice shots.

Grey Heron

Common Buzzard

Shoveler

Shelduck

Mallard (male)

Mallard (female)

Some Sunshine at Last

For the first time this year we had some decent sunshine last week, so straight out and to make the most of it I stayed fairly local. Having spent weeks editing images on the computer it was great to get out and use the camera.
I found some Shoveler ducks and with half the lake frozen over they were confined to a reduced area which made photographing this timid species a lot easier than normal. I settled down and spent several hours with them. Over this time they became quite confiding, coming reasonably close. The bushes in the background gave the water a lovely brown colour which has given the shots an atmospheric arty feel.