Mandarin appearance
November 2nd, 2022
On this day the Mandarin Duck famous to the seattle area made another appearance. We have single member of this species in the area and often see pictures of the bird on social media. I often get asked “have you seen the mandarin?”
Usually the bird only appears for a really short period of time where you have to quickly get a few shots before the duck disappears again. Today was different. I walked up on a viewing platform to find him resting on a dead stump. Apparently before I got there the bird was quite active according to the people watching him when I arrived.
The light was very cooperative on the stump. I notice a reflection and waited for the water to settle. I was not disappointed in the resulting images.
After around an hour the mandarin duck started moving around again. I got pictures of him swimming into good light. At one point, he dove for a root and I caught him doing it. Fortunately I used a fast enough shutter speed to catch that precise moment. I have missed that moment when many other birds on other occasions. Today was different.
