This morning I’m sharing a few Blue-winged Teal drake photos that I took a couple of days ago at Four Corners Slough at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge.
Blue-winged Teal drake close up – Canon R7, beanbag, f11, 1/640, ISO 640, +0.3 EV, Canon RF 800mm, natural light
The first photo of this Blue-winged Teal is a close up. Now, if you’ve been following what I write here for a bit, you know I adore taking portraits of my subjects whenever they come in close.
My delight for close-ups isn’t anything new—I’ve been that way since the bird photography passion was first lit up inside of me.
Close-up images show fine details that might be missed in photos taken from farther away.
Drake Blue-winged Teal in breeding plumage – Canon R7, beanbag, f11, 1/640, ISO 640, +0.3 EV, Canon RF 800mm, natural light
The thing is, I also enjoy photos that show the whole body of my subjects too. So I was happy when this drake moved farther from me, letting me show off his fine breeding plumage in its full glory.
I only saw and photographed Blue-winged Teals a few times in Utah. Here in Arkansas and Oklahoma, Blue-winged Teals are around from February through November. Which means I’ll have plenty of opportunities to take more images of them!
Blue-winged Teal drake on Four Corners Slough – Canon R7, beanbag, f11, 1/800, ISO 640, +0.7 EV, Canon RF 800mm, natural light
The Blue-winged Teals are showing up at many of the sloughs at the refuge, and that has made me one very happy bird photographer.
The males are especially striking this time of year, with their purplish gray heads and the distinct white crescent on their faces. Their red eyes are pretty appealing too. Next time I’m at the refuge, I plan to focus more on the hens—I’d like more photos of them as well!
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Blue-winged Teal photos plus facts and information about this species.
Magnificent pics! The Teals portrait is extraordinary [you are truly a master of close-ups]. The color, detail and reflections you captured in the other 2 shots is spellbinding. Thanks Mia.
For some reason your photos did not come through to my web browser. Did anyone else have trouble?
Burrdoo, I’ve been having database issues which causes the issue you described. I’m working on it!
Beautiful. Thank you. I do love your portraits.