Avian Impressionism
Photographer: Mark Cook
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1/1000 • f/7.1 • ISO 800 • Canon EOS R5 • 300mm • Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM
Blue-winged Teal create ephemeral artwork as they dabble for food in the chai-coloured shallows of Florida Bay, Florida. The image was taken last autumn after the summer rains had sent much needed freshwater flows into the Florida Bay estuary. The odd yellow colour is entirely natural and originates from the mangroves lining the bay; the first flush of freshwater from the Everglades gains this rich whiskey hue as it passes through the swamp and extracts the tannins leached from decaying mangrove leaves. The migrating teal are feeding just downstream of the mangroves dabbling and filtering high densities of algae and other microorganisms from a large drying pond adjacent to the bay. It can be a challenge to produce creative images of the topographically-challenged Everglades so it’s important to find subjects with whom I can collaborate artistically and are willing to interact with their habits in strange and wonderful ways, like these artistic teal. Here my aim was to capture something of the ecology or essence of the ducks while also attempting to fit that into a visually appealing composition that incorporates, to the extent possible, the patterns, textures, and colours of the environment. It’s this combination of animal behavior within a captivating habitat that I believe make for the most compelling images.
