Female Mallard in Flight

Mallards are fairly common ducks even though they sport beautiful plumage. The male has a green head and beautiful plumage, relative to the female, as is the case with most species of bird. The female mallard, however, does have a wonderful patch of bluish purple on each wing. The challenge is to capture a unique perspective of the female in a natural setting to showcase their beauty. I was photographing an area nearby, frequented by ducks. Periodically the birds would take of and land. This photo struck me as unique since the female mallard was landing with its wings fully outstretched showing not only the beautiful bluish purple feathers, but also the shapes and angles of the bird’s feathers as they caught the air upon its decent. The feathers at the rear of the bird’s wings appeared to catch the air similarly to ailerons on an aircraft, and the tail feathers and webbed feet seemed to act as air brakes. It is amazing how much can be revealed from a photo of a bird in flight, in addition to their profound beauty.