Drake Bufflehead in Flight – Los Colinas, Texas

A pair of bufflehead shows up at Los Colinas blvd where i frequent for hoodies in flight. I’ve longed for the skittish diver with little success. They are hard to approach and being the North America’s smallest diving duck up the level of BIF difficulty two notches. Did i mention they are fast too? Despite the size, the drake is easy to spot from a distance. The head is fairly large and rounded with distinct white patch as well as the neck, scapulars, breast, belly and sides. The amount of white feathers spell trouble for exposure, naturally. it’s a tough waterfowl to photograph.

However, this location presents the opportunity. All i have to do is wait, and push them slowly till they get to narrower section of the canal. The pair dropped its guard eventually, and i had the drake locked in for a series of in flight sequence. This is one of the better with wings fully extended, in downstroke position.