Grebe ducks do not have Mandarines breath-taking picturesque outlook, but they are awesome too. They have a long flexible neck and funny 'shaggy wig' on their head, these elements especially impress when are observed 'in action'.
Why 'take two'? Back in 2019 I found their nest hidden in the reeds in my local park, and had a small photo-session. I had a 150mm macro lens with me, it was almost evening, i.e. lighting was not that great, the reeds around have grown and were hiding the nest pretty well; so, my results were not fascinating at all. This is how it looked like:
This year they came back to make the nest at the same spot -- and it happened much earlier, as the winter was nor cold, either snowy. By the end of April my friends confirmed the Grebe's nest already there. I grabbed my camera and in the 1st week of May my 'take 2' happened. This time I borrowed my 70-300mm lens, and choosed a sunny day, so I had a full lighting. And, happily, the reeds did not grow yet to hide the place all over, so it became an easy game.
As you can see on the 1st pictures, the nest is located very close to the shore -- so I could come up pretty close, and at this 1,5m distance my 300mm tele worked like it was a 500mm at some long range. Nice!
Some good-hearted folks have marked the spot with two noticeable police-do-not-cross-the-line barriers, to protect the area from massive crowd-stomping. But I did an exception for myself. Otherwise, I could be getting a landscape pictures only, like this:
But enough of the prologue. Lets go straight to the pictures!
Note her red eye! She's a real terminator in the pictures.
Oh, she had also a funny voice... I would compare it to a quiet train whistle, muffled, toy children's model.
When I came closer I shoot the duck sitting on the nest, after short period of time she decided to show me the eggs and did a little walk off and walk-around, and I had a chance to shoot the eggs and both of the parents floating around. When she lifted off her body from the nest, it looked like all of her body is a very big egg. Ofc it was only a appearances, but again, very funny one!
After 3-4 mins she returned to the eggs and presented me some really splendid captures of water dews sinking off her breast... and the captures of her long curvy neck - simply amazing! During this moments I wished my camera could do the video, too. But I dont have that option.
What may seem a damage or crack of the egg, in fact, is just a sticky blade of grass, litter - the eggs are in perfect order! I give a cropped image for you to be sure. And I didnt come any closer for this capture.
She showed me her tongue!
| location: | St.Petersburg, Russia | date: may 2020 | --- |
| camera/lens: | Canon 5D | +70-300mm | raw-conv |
| f6.3 | t 1/800 | ISO 400 | -- |
All of the images copyright by me. hi-res files available for purchase.
I captured about 140 frames, so, part 2 will follow!
Now the last, but not the least: this certain specie is named Great Crested Grebe duck. They are very pleasurable to look at, and except of the outlook, they have an amazing marriage dance. (Maybe I will be lucky to shoot it one day). When motherduck is sitting on the nest, she constantly turns her head left and right, like a pendulum of a grandfather clock - she is in a nonstop control of perimeter; such a memorable sight! Their wide back was a great spot for the dews to drop down, but also it is known as a place where the motherduck transport its little ducklings (I hope to capture it later, as well). Too many amazing things to admire here. Thats why I nominate my post for AmazingNature challenge by 
.