This winter I have concentrated almost exclusively on ducks. One species was especially high on my wish list. I had not much luck with the Common teal in the years before. Last winter I found a spot where the Common teals were not very shy. But at that winter I never had much luck. Only on one very stormy day I was able to photograph the smallest duck in Europe in an acceptable matter.
Unfortunately, I had no time in the remaining winter 2018/19 to visit the location again. This year I didn't have much more time, but at least I made it to the location twice.
While I had luck with the ducks in the first afternoon, the weather was not on my side at all. Just as the light was gradually getting better, more and more dense clouds approached and the wind and therefore small waves made the photos not so interesting.
In the second afternoon I had a little more luck with the weather. It was more or less windless, and the lake was as smooth as glass. With the warm spring weather some teals had already flown back to their breeding areas. Those that were still here, were a bit more shy and swam further out in the water. Because the opposite shore was so far away, the lake practically went over into the sky. Because the surface of the water was so smooth, the sky was reflected in the water, giving the whole picture a slight blue tone.
Because I was only a few centimetres above the water with the camera, I got a fine gradient of colorsin the background. This makes the impression that the photo was taken on a foggy morning. But this is not the case. On this afternoon there was no fog at all. The teal was illuminated by the gradually setting sun, which gives the photo a special atmosphere.
I like this picture very much. It has a very calm and dreamy mood. I can imagine that it also works very well on the wall.
I had planned to go to the Common teals again. Unfortunately, the Corona virus cancelled my plans. Fortunately, I have some birds near my home that I can photograph as well. Besides, hopefully it will be warm enough in the next few weeks to finally use the Floating Hide. I will also start with the exam assignment in the next couple of weeks.
