Harlequins

Although I didn’t manage to get good shots of the Harlequin Ducks at Ft. Flagler due to the heavy fog, I did get some great shots of them after we stopped for lunch and some store-hopping in Port Townsend. Although I’ve gotten better shots once or twice when I could get closer to them, the lighting was as good as I’ve ever seen, with the sun breaking over my shoulder for a change. Though wary, the ducks were obviously used to people and went about catching food with only an occasional glance back at us.

This is as good of shot as I’ve ever gotten of a pair of Harlequins together,

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even though the white patch on the male is too white, lacking details.

When I zoomed in on the male, the exposure was much better, even showing some of the small feathers behind the bill.

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We actually ended up seeing two pairs of Harlequins, not particularly strange this time of year when they’re paired off, but I was a little surprised when both of the males separated from the females and reeled around in a big circle, at one point coming directly toward me, which gave me this chance to see how different they look from the front,

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not to mention a chance to get slightly different profiles of the two males.

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The hardest part of writing this blog entry was deciding which shots to use and which shots to delete because it’s hard to trash something this beautiful,

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just because it’s not quite as beautiful as the picture next to it.

One thought on “Harlequins”

  1. Truly beautiful images of such a stunning bird. I’ve never seen a Harlequin, and these photos really give me a deep sense of what one looks like.

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