I love the way the focus falls off so precipitously — her specula are crisp, her head’s in soft focus, the background’s a blur. This is another great thing about a long lens. It’s the same effect in this photo from Trout Lake: I know, I know, I should be focussed on the eye, but …
The Sun Yat Sen Gardens really show the mallard hens off in the summer. The ponds are lined with clay to reflect the sky, and on a bright blue day the blue speculum just pops. Afoot, she’s nothing to sneeze at either:
(To be honest, I’m just checking in with the duckies to make that redux joke.) There were more, but these two survived …
That’s a downy, I think, and this big gal is a Northern flicker. Note the stiff-tail feathers deal they both do. You can spot woodpeckers feeding by the angle.