I enjoyed my Monday trip to Theler Wetlands, but I loved the time I spent at the Port Orchard marina. Winter must be upon us because the sea ducks, grebes and cormorants have returned.
Not sure I’ve ever seen three male Hooded Mergansers
together before, but I definitely think that having three of them made it possible to get better closeups of the one on the left, who floated around aimlessly, at times even coming closer while the other two faded into the background.
I ended up with a ton of shots to choose from, each of them a little different from the others. This is a favorite,
but I sure wish the white breast hadn’t blown out, even with the camera set to underexpose a half f-stop.
Turned the other way, it’s the head feathers that are blown out
even after adjusting severely in Aperture. Still, this might be my favorite shot ever, though I can’t be sure of that until I finish going through my old shots and compare them.
I love the reflections you get in the marina. No where else I’ve shot comes even close to adding the reflections that I get there with almost no effort on my part, miraculously, as it were.