Some birds make you work a little harder than others, and the female Hooded Merganser is definitely one of them. She may not have the flashy crest and bold pattern of the drake, but what she lacks in showiness, she absolutely makes up for in attitude, speed, and unpredictability. And honestly… that’s exactly why I love photographing them.
This image was made during my Better Than Bosque Workshop at the beginning of December, and the morning could not have started any better. The light was gorgeous—rich, warm, and soft—the kind of light that makes you smile before you even press the shutter. The pond was calm, everything was peaceful… and then, as mergansers like to do, she decided she’d had enough of being calm and peaceful. No warning. No gentle build-up. Just: Boom—she’s airborne!
Trying to stay with a Hooded Merganser in flight is always a bit of an adventure. They don’t fly like mallards, and they don’t give you that big lazy arc of a goose. They’re small, fast, twitchy, and seem to enjoy changing direction just as you think you’ve got things lined up. It feels like you’re constantly a half-second behind, willing everything to stay together long enough for autofocus to hang on while you pan and pray the bird doesn’t suddenly dive out of the frame.
This was photographed with the Sony A9 Mark III, 600mm f/4 with the 2X (so 1,200mm), at 1/5,000s, f/8, ISO 2000. That fast shutter was key—there’s a lot of energy in those wings—and the light did the rest. When you get a morning like this, you just try not to mess it up.
What I love most about this frame isn’t just the detail—it’s the feeling. The tension in the wings. The slightly frantic, slightly determined posture. The warm glow wrapping her in that early morning color. It’s a split second of controlled chaos, and that’s exactly what photographing mergansers feels like in real life.
These are the kinds of moments that keep me excited about being out there. You never know when the shot is going to happen. You just try to be ready, pay attention, and enjoy the wild ride when it does.