pink ears and trippy water

[avkomp]

there was a pink eared duck briefly at lake belevedere last year. quite skittish and you couldnt approach him, but if you hid, he swam by for a few pix
this one after the sun gone behind him.

d4 600d4 tc 17 1/160 f6.7 iso 1600 full frame

[wigz]

Very nice shot of the duck showing its features. The metallic sheen on the water around the bird is very nice, but the out-of-focus ripples in the background look a little odd to me. The bird is nicely separated from the background though. A bit of blur there might make the background less distracting, I've never even seen one of these.

[avkomp]

not sure about the oof ripples. probably a function of zero dof at the lens point blank. I got a few with at other times with now ripples etc.
here is one from another day with no ripples...........

pretty much our prettiest duck if you ask me. is a shoveller too

[wigz]

Well the background is better but it doesn't have the sheen on the water around the bird that I like a lot. Both excellent and I wouldn't like to have to choose between them.

[avkomp]

it is all about the light and the 2nd pic is after the sun gone. the setting sun is behind both. it refused to go anywhere where there may have been light. you probably just go home if it not a pinky.
this one was the first one I ever saw also and generally not around sydney at all, so you stay until dark hoping............

[Sully]

Wow, have never seen one of these before .... love #2 with the reflection .....

[Alan]

A new one for me too - I'd be stoked with either photo

[avkomp]

thanks folks.
Alan I am happy to get these. not seen one around here before and the maps show only very nomadic presence. we went to another lake out west to get some of these and unsurprisingly saw squat, but this guy was at the local duck pond for a month or so. we got dud light more or less every day though and it was quite shy. these pix came from when it did swim by later on.
this one was taken 180 degrees off from the direction of the coots. sadly the pinky never went anywhere near where you could get light behind you. (at least when I was there)

[millicat]

I like the one without the ripples .. seems too busy otherwise .. for me anyway lol. Beautiful bird too.

[HansE]

My vote for what it's worth is for the second one. It puts a greater focus on the center of interest the bird. Nice one