The Beautiful but Overlooked Female Wood Duck

I took this shot yesterday. A male and female were on the shore of a river I was walking along and it looked like they might climb an embankment to get up on some grass. I left the river's edge so they didn't spot me and huried to the vicinity and laid down on the grass waiting and hoping they would crest the embankment....they did...

I think they were less spooked by me being low. They were jittery but the 2 or 3 Mallards might have made them feel less jittery. A little pile of seed that someone had left for the mallards probably helped as well. I cropped the bottom of the shot which was more OOF grass from the very low angle.

Canon 30D and 400mm F5.6
ISO 400/F5.6/1/800 sec

B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L.
That's the word here...........

Thanks Ted for taking the time to comment

They are a beutiful bird easily overlooked for there beuty because of the male ,,, I have quite a few of the female and I think her to be just as nice if not nicer in some ways then the male ,,, very nice shot Gary

Great capture really sharp and detailed and yes she is beautiful.

Powerful image of the female, underrated compared to the colourful male. However you have brought out the real quailty of this bird by the excellent details.
Well done Gary, as ever.

Really beautiful shot. The colors are magnificent.

Good job! Thanks for highlighting this less-spectacular, yet very beautiful bird.

Indeed a beautiful compliment to the male...nice details and great light...

Great work Gary!

Marc

Hi Gary,
really nice capture, taken from a very good angle, with excellent details & colors,
IMHO the duck behind is a little distracting and of course I'm waiting for the picture with the tail
All the Best,
Clare

Great shot. I agree the females are overlooked and I think they are very pretty.

Very nice Gary, she has a bit of a bad hair day.

Dan

Wow...this is one amazing shot. I have never noticed the yellow ring around the female's eye. Razor sharp with excellent details. Beautiful colours. Amazing work as always.

it really looks nice and shows the plumage very well Mr duck in the background should have moved
Rob

ClareH wrote:
Hi Gary,
really nice capture, taken from a very good angle, with excellent details & colors,
IMHO the duck behind is a little distracting and of course I'm waiting for the picture with the tail
All the Best,
Clare

Yes ...I wanted to yell at that Mallard in the BG to get lost but then the Wood Ducks would probably figure I was yelling at them If I ever print this shot I might give a go at cloning out Mr. Mallard. Clare...you won't see the one with the tail unless my cloning skills really improve Thanks for the honest critique..it is very much appreciated.

And thanks to Wayne, apatchy, Anthony, Turnerzdad, Marc, Chriss, Dan. Sindri and Rob...glad you liked the shot