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- Locations<\/strong> Lakes, ponds, rivers, wetlands and coastal stretches<\/li>\n
- Bird size<\/strong> Ranging from 55cm to 2.4m wingspan. Up to 12kg<\/li>\n
- Nest<\/strong> Usually near water, in dense vegetation, hollows in trees and small islands or refuges<\/li>\n
- Diet<\/strong> Wide \u2013 ranging from fish to vegetation<\/li>\n
- UK population<\/strong> Healthy. One million plus<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n\t\t\n\t\t\t![\"Waterfowl](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Waterfowl-Eurasian-widegeon.jpg\")
\t\t\tEurasian widgeon in the late evening light. Olympus E-M1 Mark II, 300mm, 1\/800sec at f\/4, ISO 800. Credit: Tesni Ward<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n
One of the great things about photographing waterfowl is that they are so easily accessible in the UK. Despite this, they are often overlooked in pursuit of more elusive wildlife, and deemed to be \u2018boring\u2019 or \u2018too easy\u2019.<\/p>\n
This can be hard to understand when you consider that the UK is home to over 35 species of waterfowl or wildfowl that can be found on many lakes, rivers and coastal areas. There is potential for truly great images if time and effort is put towards photographing them.<\/p>\n
While there are big differences between some species, the most common include mallards, mute swans, coots and Canada geese. They are often more concentrated in urban areas and owing to regular contact with humans, are usually approachable when it comes to photography.<\/p>\n
One of the downsides to working with these birds in an urban environment are the surroundings, which can be messy and clustered with cars, people, buildings and rubbish from time to time. A quick readjustment or moving to a new angle usually solves this.<\/p>\n
Another challenge when working in an urban setting is that the sheer number of birds can make it difficult to get a clean image. I have lost count of the number of images I\u2019ve had to give up on because of a bird photo-bombing in the front\/rear of the image. Unfortunately this is hard to avoid, but perseverance and patience do pay off.<\/p>\n
While some birds will be going into eclipse plumage at varying times in the summer, there are always subjects to photograph and it can be a good time to turn your attention to the females. Certain waterfowl such as mallards are known to have more than one brood each year, meaning you can get those adorable duckling images throughout the summer.<\/p>\n\t\t
- Bird size<\/strong> Ranging from 55cm to 2.4m wingspan. Up to 12kg<\/li>\n
![\"Waterfowl](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Waterfowl-mallard.jpg\")
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