Displaying Gadwall drake in a marsh – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1250, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
This morning I am sharing two simple Gadwall drake photos that I took last spring from the auto tour route at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. In this first photo the Gadwall drake was displaying for a female who was nearly hidden. The Gadwall hen did come out into the open a few times but I was more focused on the behavior of the male.
These dabbling ducks are year round residents in in parts of northern Utah but surprisingly I don’t have as many photos of Gadwalls as I would like to have in my galleries.
Alert Gadwall drake about to lift off – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1250, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I took at least a hundred photos of this Gadwall drake as he displayed for the hen. I loved how the bright blue sky reflected on the water and mixed in with the reflected golden hues of the nearby vegetation.
This second photo shows the drake Gadwall milliseconds before he lifted off from the marsh. As I recall another vehicle passed by which startled both the hen and the drake.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Gadwall photos plus facts and information about this species.
What a charmer. Thank you.
Drake Gadwall have some of the most stunning maroon colors! One of my favorite waterfowl species!
What a lovely spring morning wake up call! Thanks for sharing your love of birds and the Bear River Refuge!