Mating Mergansers

Nikon Z6, Nikkor AF-S 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens, f/5.6, 1/2000 sec, ISO 560, Gitzo tripod, Wimberley head

I moved to a wetlands area on a small lake in the upper portion of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan a couple of years ago. The first full Spring there I could hear Hooded Mergansers, my favorite water bird, at the ingress of the river into the lake. The ice had just started to clear there and I set up a hide on the shore. It was very cold on my first morning in the hide and I crept into it before sunrise. I settled in and was rewarded with Sandhill Cranes and Trumpeter Swans calling as the morning began. Soon, the hoodies started arriving and I spent a wonderful couple of hours with them, using the silent shutter option to prevent spooking them. I was thrilled when after both males and females had cruised by me, this pair proceeded to mated right in front of me. It was one of my most rewarding photographic mornings of my life.