Who is the fairest? Certainly this northern pintail duck posed long enough for the reflection in the water to be almost perfect and so he at least deserves some credit for helping me out. I really love capturing perfect bird reflections. They can be hard to pull off because you need a number of things to come together to make the image work: no wind at all, great light and a bird (easily said that done). The northern pintail (Anas acuta) is widespread across North America, Europe, and Asia. Slim and long-necked, it has an elegant appearance both on the water and in flight. Pintails are wary at all seasons, and become very secretive during the flightless stage of their molt in late summer.
Violet-headed hummingbirds are small birds about 8.1 cm (3.2 in) in length with a short, straight bill that averages 13 mm (0.51 in) in length. The head and throat of the male are intense violet or blue with white spots behind each eye that stands out against the dark head. The back is metallic bluish-green and breast is green fading to a grey belly. The tail is green with tiny white-grey tail spots. The wings are black. The female is duller with a blue cap, green back and grey throat, breast and belly. The wings and tail are the same as the male. The female also has the white spot behind the eye.
