Ducks

Mallard Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos)

Dominick Lofino Park, Beavercreek, Ohio "Life on earth is a delicate balance of interdependent creatures. Nature can be ignored, for the least appreciated sometimes turn out to be the most important. We cannot afford to neglect any just because they don't appeal to our emotions." - Merlin D. Tuttle Striking the same pose, this photograph embodies how some quick thinking can result in an image like this; patterns in wildlife behavior! I saw the distance between this female in the foreground and the male in the background and settled upon a wide aperture to blur out the male duck while putting focus on the female. In my opinion, the effect works very well in this case as the subjects become more about their stance and form than the birds themselves. Typically most ducks are considered "dabbling ducks" as they habitually bob the front half of their bodies into the water to feed on the plants below. As in this image, they will also feed in the grasslands surrounding a pond as well. Watch for this interesting movement next time you take a trip to the pond! © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Mallard Duckling (Anas platyrhynchos)

Dominick Lofino Park, Beavercreek, Ohio "Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings." - Salvador Dali Spring is always a special time of year nesting and mating season occurs. I feel very thankful to be able to witness this life cycle without much difficulty. Here at a local pond, a family of Mallards swam around their clutch of many ducklings. Eventually coming to the muddy ground, I was already calmy sitting and observing. I used a telephoto lens to zoom in close without disturbing them. A telephoto lens compresses the distance between the background and foreground. The shallow depth of field was a concious choice as I wanted to really put emphasis on the foreground duckling as they dip their beak into the ground. The background duckling was an extra detail to add to the scene however not be directly included. The colors all compliment each other in the frame. © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Mallard Duckling (Anas platyrhynchos)

Dominick Lofino Park, Beavercreek, Ohio "One touch of nature makes the whole world kin." - William Shakespeare Spring time means hatchlings, ducklings, owlets, goslings, you name it! A flock of Mallards were escorting them through the pond as the ducklings eagerly followed swimming. I laid down on the ground nearby to the seemingly unconcerned parents. There must've been a little over a dozen ducklings in the clutch and this little one broke off from the group. The image finds this one having a drink in a shallow end of the pond. Female Mallards will lay 100-140 eggs a year, with a clutch consisting of 1 to 13 eggs. Pairs are mostly monogamous. They really do grow up fast. © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos)

Dominick Lofino Park, Beavercreek, Ohio "Photographs are a recording of memories." Looking almost heaven-sent, this female Mallard duck is glowing in the evening light of dusk. Typically their colors are muted greys and browns with some iridescent purple on the wing tips. In this case the light really gave off an otherworldly feel with the orange. This image would have been like any other basic bird portrait without the golden hour. I have several dozen images like that already, however this one stands out above the rest. Upon first viewing, your eyes are drawn to that burst of color. It's beautiful and I wouldn't have it any other way. © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos)

Dominick Lofino Park, Beavercreek, Ohio “Let the sounds of nature amplify your vibrations of peace.” - Patrick Zeis The musing mallard, this female individual was caught in the middle of a head turn. As I knelt near the edge of the community pond, this duck seemed to not mind the camera time. At 600mm and with a vertical orientation, the top half of the frame leaves some “negative” (read: blank) space for the photo to breathe. Even the slightest movement can change an image dramatically as it did here. The duck almost looks to be contemplating something more as it looks toward the sky with a smirk. Showing wildlife behavior is paramount to creating a successful image such as this. © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos)

Dominick Lofino Park, Beavercreek, Ohio © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Male Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos)

Dominick Lofino Park, Beavercreek, Ohio © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Male Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos)

Dominick Lofino Park, Beavercreek, Ohio I was patiently waiting at this local pond for some waterfowl to fly in and make a landing. With my back against the wind and positioned to shoot them straight on, this male Mallard flew in towards my direction but suddenly veered off to its' left. That is the moment captured here in the image. This is one of dozens of images that were captured in a few brief seconds, this one showing the duck just before making contact with the water. © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos)

Dominick Lofino Park, Beavercreek, Ohio "Let the sounds of nature amplify your vibrations of peace.” - Patrick Zeis A very magical day was had with a brief afternoon visit to the local pond. I observed these Mallard Ducks as they arrived and left like air traffic streams. Having my camera mounted on a chest harness, I was to be on the move a lot without a tripod to slow me down. The settings were all set to burst mode as I patiently waited for new arrivals of Mallards along the pond water. This particular male I could see from afar as it originally was heading towards my direction. A split second before impact as seen here, this male duck veers off to the right for the landing. The very simple composition brings all attention and focus on the duck as it drops into the pond. There is only the duck and water to view but the story is told in such a way. Birds in flight is a tricky but rewarding subject to try. © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Mallard Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos)

Dominick Lofino Park, Beavercreek, Ohio "If you keep your feathers well oiled the water of criticism will run off as from a duck’s back." - Ellen Henrietta Swallow Richards An entire afternoon spent at the local pond was the perfect time to photograph common waterfowl species. Fairly large flocks of dozens of geese and ducks were swimming about. Meanwhile up in the air many took flight and circled above, either to land back in the pond or take off for the next destination. Pretty much every wildlife photographer would agree; simple observation and forethought helps tremendously in obtaining better photos. Learning the behaviors of the species you are taking photos of also helps develop a deeper appreciation for their life and beauty. In this case I could begin to tell when the mallard would flap its wings to dry them off, so I simply waited for one in this group to do it. Fortunately that was the middle one which became the unique subject in the flock. © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Mallard Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos)

Dominick Lofino Park, Beavercreek, Ohio “It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds.” - Aesop Coming in for a dramatic landing, this group of mallards made quite a splash from a distance. Zoomed all the way out at 600mm made it appear that this happened right in front of me, and so I wanted the action to pull the viewer in as it was. The lighting is the one thing that was a difficulty with exposure, on top of correctly releasing a shutter to freeze the movement. The bright light of the middle of the day was rather unattractive, and so the splashing white water almost was "blown out" or overexposed of detail. Regardless, this was a fun moment to capture on the camera. © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Mallard Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos)

Dominick Lofino Park, Beavercreek, Ohio “Birds are indicators of the environment. If they are in trouble, we know we'll soon be in trouble." - Roger Tory Peterson A flock of ducks enjoy a nice warm day at the local pond. Among the group are both an even amount of male and female, with some domestic types. Common ducks like this can take on many different feather colors and more due to the way they are raised. A single duck that I centrally focused on and composed is flapping its wings. Some may suggest that it looks like they're about to take off, however they do this to dry the excess feathers off from bathing. Feather structure is intricate and comprised of many layers on their body. Wing flapping is the best way for them to dry off quickly. © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Male Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos)

Dominick Lofino Park, Beavercreek, Ohio "When you see birds flying from the sunset towards you, you will find it hard to convince yourself that they are not angels from heaven!" - Mehmet Murat ildan For this visit to a local community pond, my sights were set on the local waterfowl that call this park home. The early afternoon was rather harsh for exposure as I practiced on birds in flight. By the evening, the light had settled for a more pleasing and subtle glow. From thereon, images could be exposed more diffusely as an approaching rainstorm arrived. Rain clouds moved over head on and off, finally lifting and revealing a rainbow just before sunset. © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos)

Dominick Lofino Park, Beavercreek, Ohio "When you see birds flying from the sunset towards you, you will find it hard to convince yourself that they are not angels from heaven!" - Mehmet Murat ildan For this visit to a local community pond, my sights were set on the local waterfowl that call this park home. The early afternoon was rather harsh for exposure as I practiced on birds in flight. By the evening, the light had settled for a more pleasing and subtle glow. From thereon, images could be exposed more diffusely as an approaching rainstorm arrived. Rain clouds moved over head on and off, finally lifting and revealing a rainbow just before sunset. © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos)

Dominick Lofino Park, Beavercreek, Ohio "When you see birds flying from the sunset towards you, you will find it hard to convince yourself that they are not angels from heaven!" - Mehmet Murat ildan For this visit to a local community pond, my sights were set on the local waterfowl that call this park home. The early afternoon was rather harsh for exposure as I practiced on birds in flight. By the evening, the light had settled for a more pleasing and subtle glow. From thereon, images could be exposed more diffusely as an approaching rainstorm arrived. Rain clouds moved over head on and off, finally lifting and revealing a rainbow just before sunset. © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos)

Dominick Lofino Park, Beavercreek, Ohio "The camera is an excuse to be someplace you otherwise don't belong." - Susan Meiselas To be fair, I didn't feel like I belonged at the community pond with dog walkers, runners, and children playing about. Here I am walking around with a five pound lens strapped to my chest; shooting birds of all things. And a perfect excuse the camera is to me. It has both gotten me out of situations and into nasty ones many times. Isn't it nice when things line up perfectly? In a nanosecond-like moment, my telephoto lens and camera fired burst mode as these two Mallards flew away. The rainbow had already made itself known for quite some time, and I was already thinking some waterfowl could possibly fly into it. This was the result. © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos)

Dominick Lofino Park, Beavercreek, Ohio © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos)

Dominick Lofino Park, Beavercreek, Ohio "Be like a duck, paddling and working very hard inside the water, but what everyone sees is a smiling and calm face." - Manoj Arora One of my favorite aspects of wildlife photography is the array of angles and perspectives you can capture of a single subject. In this same Summer visit to the local pond, I managed quite a number of Mallards in flight, however here is a static portrait of a female towards golden hour light. The "warmness" of the vibrant colors streaked across the duck mixed with the "cooler" colors of the blue water behind and greene foliage struck my interest. To add a little bit of visual interest, the foreground has some foliage that's dropped out of focus, leaving the viewer to focus solely on the bird subject. Rule of thirds leaves a bird portrait like this to have the bird some "wiggle room" when looking off to one side. Therefore I left the left side empty for it to be looking somewhere. The image simply wouldn't look quite as good the other way around. © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos)

Cox Arboretum Metropark, Dayton, Ohio © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

American Pekins (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus)

Philips Park, Beavercreek, Ohio "Kindness to all living things is the true religion." - Buddha One of my oldest photos I am still in possession of, these two pekin ducks were caught up "in a moment." The right one looks to be scolding the other as the left one digs its beak into the ground. Capturing behavior in wildlife is always something I strive to do. This to me is one of the best ways to tell a story through an image. One word I'd use to describe this photo is "candid." The birds are not focused on me at all, despite being only a handful of feet away from them. This allowed for some natural movements and looks like this as they carry on business uninterrupted. Despite being simple lighting conditions, I still have a soft spot for this early image. © 2017 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

American Pekin (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus)

Philips Park, Beavercreek, Ohio “Every bird has a style and each style has its own fate, just as it is in humans!” - Mehmet Murat ildan As the scientific name suggests, this is a breed of domestic duck, raised primarily for meat. Pekin's are a very common duck of community ponds and decently-sized bodies of water. To show a connection between me and the ducks, I laid down flat on the ground to really feel the world on their scale. Technically speaking this also helps with dropping the background out of the focus more effectively. I simply waited for them to make a move after sleeping and this moment captured the left duck quacking. One technique I employ is to photograph a common species like this is a new or unique way. I have previously taken several simple portraits of these ducks while they were swimming or waddling along. Yet the best wildlife images are ones that show a connection or some sort of behavior. Imagine a baby swimming along with her parent, or a scuffle between competing birds for territory. These photos are infinitely more interesting to capture and view alike. Next time, look for the behaviors and actions just as much as the subject itself. © 2017 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

American Pekin (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus) & Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos)

Dominick Lofino Park, Beavercreek, Ohio "Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but always paddling like the dickens underneath." - Michael Caine During a wildlife photography shoot, I am on the lookout for any and all subjects to make potential photographs. One prime example is any time I can get two different or even similar species in a single frame. In this case, a domestic duck leads the swim out in the local pond with a female mallard following. With no second thoughts, they started swimming away, and I was lined up on the side as seen here to get a static movement image. To top it off, the white feathers of the pekin duck left a pleasing reflection in the water underneath. While this isn't my favorite photo taken of all time, I feel as though it tells a story. © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

American Pekin (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus)

Dominick Lofino Park, Beavercreek, Ohio "For the animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours they move finished and complete...They are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendor and travail of the earth." - Henry Beston The calm and collected confidence of a duck whose rain rolls right off their back, this domestic duck was standing out in the pouring rain as was I. Domesticated species are much easier to approach more closely as they are used to people feeding them and being around each other at community ponds such as this one. The cloudy, overcast light was perfect in order to not overexpose the white body of this duck. On a sunny day this subject would've been much trickier to meter for. One of the greatest joys is in watching these birds go about their business day-to-day. I am just an observer that is allowed into their world, so a telephoto zoom lens allows me to get closer than my feet could. Even more so, this pekin duck seemed to be moving in my direction, which meant I had not disturbed it. Ethical wildlife photography is always essential when out in the field. © 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Canvasback (Aythya valisineria)

Spring Lakes Park, Bellbrook, Ohio "Life without dreams is like a bird with a broken wing - it can't fly." - Dan Pena This individual female Canvasback was the talk of the local birding community for a while. I was led to believe that it had an injury of some sorts, perhaps the wing as it overwintered here in Ohio at the local lake. Soonafter I took this image and several others, it must've fully recovered and flew away weeks later. Spring Lakes is separated in two and this duck was found in the smaller and narrower pond closer to the segueway to Sugarcreek Metropark. This location offers some of the best views and photographing waterfowl is very easy to do compared to other larger lakes. I laid down flat for this one and tried to get very close to eye-level. The results between this and a typical snapshot are beyond comparison! © 2019 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Canvasback (Aythya valisineria)

Spring Lakes Park, Bellbrook, Ohio © 2019 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Canvasback (Aythya valisineria)

Spring Lakes Park, Bellbrook, Ohio "Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly." - Langston Hughes The biological engineering of ducks feathers are fascinating. They are specially oiled to have water roll off of them. Every once in a while, you may see them raise their bodies up like this image and give a barrage of wing flaps. Just a slight motion blur in the wingtips implies the intense movement as they dry off. This female Canvasback was a lone resident at this location for a long time. It over wintered here and was presumed to be injured in some way to prevent it from flying off. Despite this, the duck seemed right at home at this lake. I feel fortunate to have gotten some photos of it before it eventually healed and took off soon after this day. © 2019 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Redhead (Aythya americana)

Spring Lakes Park, Bellbrook, Ohio “Our task must be to free ourselves... by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and it's beauty.” - Albert Einstein When you're so accustomed to photographing Mallards and other domestic ducks, seeing this red-headed one was a nice change of pace. I laid out flat near the lake waters and observed the duck as it splashed about by itself, then proceeded to aim the camera and go to work. There's quite a bit to say about the image, it stands out in my portfolio as the faster shutter speed of 1/800 of a second meant the water droplets kicked up were froze in motion. This obviously implies action and movement going on in the photo, as the duck thrusts itself along to wash its feathers. Typically you will want empty space where the bird or animal is looking towards or where it is moving, but the locomotive speed this duck was moving at I think works in this frame. A unique standout waterfowl shot from my time out in the field. © 2019 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa)

Spring Lakes Park, Bellbrook, Ohio "In the face of all the present turmoil and unrest and unhappiness...what can a photographer, a writer, a curator do?... To make people aware of the eternal things, to show the relationship of man to nature, to make clear the importance of our heritage, is a task that no one should consider insignificant... These are days when eloquent statements are needed." - Beaumont Newhall Birds, water, reflections. The drake and his lady. All these things make for an impressive photograph. This pair was not too far off in the distance and the water was still enough to make a reflective composition. Typically I place the horizon in the middle of the frame to add symmetry to the shot. To me, ducks tend to have stunning color and patterns in their feathers. Even the females have a hints of colors just like shown in this resting one. The purple back glows and when raised displays the sky blue underfeathers. Overall this was an effective reflection bird portrait on a morning at the lake. © 2019 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

American Wigeon (Mareca americana)

Spring Lakes Park, Bellbrook, Ohio © 2019 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos)

Spring Lakes Park, Bellbrook, Ohio © 2019 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos)

Ivy Pointe Park, Cincinnati, Ohio "When you have seen one ant, one bird, one tree, you have not seen them all." - E. O. Wilson I believe it is essential for bird photographers to not discredit common year-round resident species. While their specialty may be of least concern in terms of photographs or population, they still can provide excellent photo opportunities. For that alone, I will never pass up the opportunity to take a frame-filling image of a bird I've seen hundreds of times all over the state. © 2020 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata)

Ivy Pointe Park, Cincinnati, Ohio "I don't ask for the meaning of the song of a bird or the rising of the sun on a misty morning. There they are, and they are beautiful." - Pete Hamill Living up to its name by being very fruity in appearance, this perching duck belong to the same family as Wood Ducks and is commonly bred in East Asia. I had the very fortunate opportunity like many wildlife photographers of being able to view this single male after its release at a small pond. The bold plumage and colors of this duck stood out against the flock of Mallards nearby, and the Mandarin even took an interest in one of the females! © 2020 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata)

Ivy Pointe Park, Cincinnati, Ohio "I don't ask for the meaning of the song of a bird or the rising of the sun on a misty morning. There they are, and they are beautiful." - Pete Hamill Living up to its name by being very fruity in appearance, this perching duck belong to the same family as Wood Ducks and is commonly bred in East Asia. I had the very fortunate opportunity like many wildlife photographers of being able to view this single male after its release at a small pond. The bold plumage and colors of this duck stood out against the flock of Mallards nearby, and the Mandarin even took an interest in one of the females! © 2020 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

Spring Lakes Park, Bellbrook, Ohio "Nature never hurries. Atom by atom, little by little she achieves her work.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson A trio of females swim in the fishing lake. It's easy for a seasoned bird photographer to pass over these everyday species, however when all else fails they can reward the phototaker with some interesting looks. Here is an almost mirror-flipped perspective as three of the same bird lined up in succession. This moment in time was made possible thanks to a fast shutter speed to catch the prospective photo as they swam past each other. © 2021 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Redhead (Aythya americana)

Spring Lakes Park. Bellbrook, Ohio "All those hours exploring the great outdoors made me more resilient and confident.” - David Suzuki A mid-morning visit to one of the local fishing/birding lakes. I had just about given up after about an hour of trying to gingerly get close to these special ducks. One loop through a horse trail to search out songbirds on my way to exit and several pairs of these drakes were at the waters' edge. © 2021 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Redhead (Aythya americana)

Spring Lakes Park. Bellbrook, Ohio "In the presence of nature, a wild delight runs through the man, in spite of real sorrows.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson A surprise for both of us, I emerged from the wet woods in a clearing back at the lake to see these ducks at the edge of the water. They quickly turned and moved away and yet a snap move with my camera ensured close-up photographs to capture the moment before they calmly swam away. © 2021 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Mallard Ducklings (Anas platyrhynchos)

Dominick Lofino Park, Beavercreek, Ohio “Now I know the secret of making the best persons; it is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the Earth.” - Walt Whitman Mama and her babies. These young ones know no fear as they waddled along the water's edge whilst eating worms. I sat very still as they swam around and arrived at shore on and off while I went to work on taking an image or three. © 2021 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

Siebenthaler Fen, Beavercreek, Ohio "As an artist, it is central to be unsatisfied! This isn't greed, though it might be appetite." - Lawrence Calcagno The female duck in the fen swims around, as her new clutch follows closely behind. The framing is rather extreme as she is placed to the far right corner, allowing space for her to move into frame with the ducklings. © 2021 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

Oakes Quarry, Fairborn, Ohio © 2021 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)

Bath Township Park, Fairborn, Ohio © 2022 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.