Wood on water.

**mn shutterbug** · 05-09-2010, 07:46 PM

My first closeup of a wood duck.

Yes, I could have cropped him tighter, but I like room around my subjects.

**ksbryan0** · 05-09-2010, 07:59 PM

Very nice, Mike. I hope to someday be in a place where I can capture an image of a Wood Duck, there aren't any in the northern Rockies!

**Singletracklovr** · 05-09-2010, 08:10 PM

I'm glad you did not crop. I prefer a little of the environment as well. Nicely done.

**mjs1973** · 05-10-2010, 04:55 AM

Nice work Mike. These guys are very skittish around here and hard to get close to. I spent several hours sitting next to some beaver ponds a couple weeks ago (dressed head to toe in camo) trying go get them to come close to me. I did manage to get one pair to come pretty close, but not quite 100% of what I was after.

**mn shutterbug** · 05-10-2010, 06:57 AM

Thanks, guys. Actually, I ambushed this beauty. I was walking across a bridge at a city park and he flew over and landed next to a pair of mallards. I quickly headed to a trail that ran alongside the creek and when I figured I had gone far enough, I proceeded to the edge of the water to wait. The mallards were passing by as soon as I got there, but the woody was a bit behind. He sensed something amiss before he got to me and turned to head the other direction. That's when I stood up and nailed him.