Fall Season Hoodies

A male hooded merganser swim through calm water reflecting the colors of fall
A male hooded merganser swim through calm water reflecting the colors of fall

No, this is not a Gap or Old Navy ad – I’m talking about Hooded Mergansers in colorful fall color reflections! Hooded Mergansers are one of my all time favorite ducks (and those who know me know how much I love ducks!) I photographed this mating pair recently as they swam through a narrow channel bordered by deciduous trees, their leaves turning red and gold.

A female hooded merganser sleep on the surface of calm water reflecting the colors of fall
A female hooded merganser sleep on the surface of calm water reflecting the colors of fall

One difficulty photographing in this kind of light is making sure the main subject (the ducks) and the surroundings (water reflections) are well balanced in brightness. Especially difficult with Hooded Mergansers is the male’s bright white head feathers contrasting with its black face. Trying to capture details in the black feathers while holding detail in the white takes not only the perfect exposure, but also the right amount of front lighting. This is one species that doesn’t do well in backlighting.

A female hooded merganser sleep on the surface of calm water reflecting the colors of fall
A female hooded merganser sleep on the surface of calm water reflecting the colors of fall

As usual, I tried to photograph at a very small angle of declination to the water surface. However in this particular channel, the slope to the water is very steep, and impossible to place the lens only inches above the waterline, which is my preference. (And no, I didn’t want to climb into the water!) Therefore, I had to raise the rig high enough so that I could sit behind it and see through the viewfinder. It is times like these that I think about getting a right angle viewer for my camera. That would allow be to sit above my camera on a slope, instead of behind it, bringing the lens closer to the level of the water.

A male hooded merganser swim through calm water reflecting the colors of fall
A male hooded merganser swim through calm water reflecting the colors of fall

At any angle, and in almost any light, these are beautiful birds. For more photos, be sure to check out an older merganser post.

Hooded Merganser

A male hooded merganser extends his crest as he swims through a wetland slough
A male hooded merganser extends his crest as he swims through a wetland slough. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 1250. Evaluative metering +2/3: 1/320 sec. at f/5.6

I was lucky enough to find a pair of hooded merganser a few weeks ago at a local birding spot close to my house. While not uncommon to the area this time of year, they are usually seen in very small numbers – usually only in ones and twos. I found this attractive pair in a narrow channel that is usually very shallow, but had recently flooded, providing enough depth for these diving birds.

A female hooded merganser swims through still water, reflected in the early morning sunlight
A female hooded merganser swims through still water, reflected in the early morning sunlight. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2/3: 1/125 sec. at f/5.6

As I approached, I crouched down and worked my way toward a large clump of tall grass along the channel that could provide some screening. I crept up behind the grass and set up, careful to work very slowly so as not to disturb the pair. The last thing I’d want is for them to fly somewhere else – they seemed to be set up in the perfect position for me. The rising sun was behind me, casting the birds in full frontal lighting, and the channel was narrow enough that the entire surface of the water reflected the straw colors of the opposite shore.

After I set up, I knelt behind my tripod in the mud and goose poop (I often wear knee pads when I expect to shoot at water level) and poked my lens through the grass. They seemed right at home with me there, giving me a full half hour with them as they swam back and forth in front of my camera.

A pair of hooded merganser swim together, reflected in the water
A pair of hooded merganser swim together, reflected in the water. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 1000. Evaluative metering +1/3: 1/800 sec. at f/7.1

During courtship displays, the male fans his crest open, as seen in the first photo. The male seen here had a flat crest most of the time, only displaying his crest once to ward off a curious cormorant, and once while scratching the back of his head with his foot. The female seemed to display her crest most of the time I was watching them. The photo below shows the male with a flattened crest.

A male hooded merganser swims with a flattened crest
A male hooded merganser swims with a flattened crest. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1/3: 1/320 sec. at f/7.1

Like other mergansers, the hooded merganser has a long thin bill with serrated edges. This helps to grip fish and crustaceans when the birds dive underwater for them. Because of this trait, mergansers are often called “sawbills”. They are a somewhat secretive bird, nesting in small tree cavities hidden away from would-be predators. Hunting underwater by sight, they can actually change the refractive properties of their eyes in order to enhance their underwater vision.

Like other merganser, the hooded merganser has a long, serrated bill for gripping fish
Like other merganser, the hooded merganser has a long, serrated bill for gripping fish. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6

After a while, the mergansers decided they were done with this water channel and it was time to head off to more fertile fishing grounds. I was elated to have had that time with them, in such good photo conditions.

Copyright 2017 Hank Christensen