Every now and then we all need a short break and a bit of relaxation. So it was for me this afternoon, so I grabbed a camera and headed off to Forty Mile Creek in Grimsby to see what I could find.

I’ve been trying to get some images of a kingfisher the last couple of times that I visited the creek without success. The birds are extremely skittish and as soon as I’ve gotten almost close enough to try to capture an image they dash off. Just in case Lady Luck was going to smile down on me today, I set my camera to try to capture one of these little beauties in flight.

*sigh* Once again I failed to get any images. The only reason I even mention this is as an explanation for some of the fast shutter speeds you will see on the EXIF data for some of the images.

NOTE: Click on images to enlarge.

I have always preferred to take images of ducks along creeks and rivers when possible as it is a more natural setting for the birds.

These types of environments often have more interesting light to help make images a touch more dramatic. I often look for ducks in shade or part shade to help avoid getting highlight details being blown out by strong sunlight.

Quite often there are some trees and low bushes along the shoreline which can act as a natural blind and help get a bit closer to the birds.

While some ducks were landing on the creek sporadically, there simply wasn’t enough clear shooting angle to get any images of them in flight. I did manage a few AF-C runs at 15 fps when the occasional duck would flap its wings rapidly and rise slightly out of the water.

I love the assortment of images that my Nikon 1 V2 creates during these types of photo opportunities as there are always a range of wing positions from which to choose.

With a bit of luck I managed some images of ducks scratching their necks…that type of action tends to happen really quickly!

Having fairly calm and smooth water in the background often helps create nice image separation and I always look for this type of composition.

As is often the case, where you find ducks there may also be cormorants.

Unfortunately they were a fair distance away and I wasn’t able to get any good, close-up images.

In terms of camera settings I shot in Manual with 160-6400 auto-ISO. Depending on the lighting I used either spot or centre-weighted metering.

Overall, it was an enjoyable hour or two spent at Forty Mile Creek.

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Article and all images Copyright Thomas Stirr. All rights reserved. No use, duplication of any kind, or adaptation is allowed without written consent.