A simple photo of a pair of Mallards (Anas platyrhynochos) taken near dusk at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. I wanted to see how my recently purchased Nikkor 200 – 400mm f/4G ED VR lens would handle the low light shots. This image was taken at f4, 1/50 and ISO 320 while mounted on my Groofwin Pod. The birds were in total shade, in the late afternoon, as they rested near the auto tour route at the refuge (click on photo for full sized image).
Even though Mallards are the mostabundant duck species in North America they are beautiful and I usually can’t help but take a shot of them if they appear in a photogenic habitat.
Inspired by the incredible images taken by my friend Mia McPherson over at On The Wing Photography, and psychologically pushed by my experience with this lens when I rented it from BorrowLenses.com, along with a 1.7 teleconverter last February, I decided to take the step up.
I have blind #2 reserved at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge this week so wish me luck. I look forward to some great images from this lens. My last trip to this blind I photographed some Black-necked Stilts!
While we’re on the subject of wildlife refuges, please take this time, if you haven’t already done so, to sign the petition for a new Wildlife Conservation Stamp to help out our national refuges. You might also want to read the previous post on the “Fiscal Cliff Dwellers” of the refuge system.
For more great bird photos, check out The Bird D’pot and Wild Bird Wednesday!
Larry Jordan
Larry Jordan is an avid birder and amateur photographer living on the Pacific Flyway near the Central Valley of Northern California. He is a board member of his local Audubon Society and is a bird and wildlife conservationist. Larry contributes to several wildlife conservation organizations and is a BirdLife International "Species Champion." He is also Habitat Manager for the Burrowing Owl Conservation Network, an organization dedicated to the protection and restoration of the Western Burrowing Owl population in the United States. Larry has been blogging about birds since September of 2007 at TheBirdersReport.com
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