by Krishna Mohan
Lesser Whistling Duck
Driving down to my home town from Mangalore, I saw these Lesser Whistling Ducks in a nearby paddy field. They were wading in the shallow rainwater filled paddy field far off from the main road. I chose my Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM fitted with Canon EF 2X II Extender on my Canon EOS 1D Mark IV body. As the ground was soggy with rain I was not able to place the mono-pod on the ground. So leaving the mono-pod on the car I tried to hand hold the heavy rig and waded towards these ducks. Despite being shy I was able to get quite a few photos. Despite not using a good support, I was able to get few satisfactory photos due to higher shutter speed I used. At around 5kilo weight, the rig is quite heavy to handhold for very long time. What I usually do is to rest it on my folded elbow till I need to photograph and then lift and get the photo. This gives enough rest for your wrist to cope up with the heavy camera.
Pair of Lesser Whistling Ducks
The Lesser Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna javanica), also known as Indian Whistling Duck, is a small sized whistling duck which breeds in south and south-east Asia. It was called the Lesser Whistling Teal in the past. Called whistling ducks because of their call, they are also sometimes called tree ducks because they are seen often perching on trees near water bodies. Some nest in Tree holes too.
Lesser Whistling Duck
Lesser Whistling Ducks eat aquatic vegetation by dabbling on the water surface in shallow water. Like other waterfowl, they have a highly sensitive, fleshy tongue which has a spiny surface. To efficiently sift for edible titbits, the tongue is worked against rows of horny lamellae that line the mandibles. This produces the typical chattering sound of feeding waterfowl. They also dive frequently for underwater titbits. Lesser Whistling Ducks feed mostly at night, in small family groups.
Pair of Lesser Whistling Ducks
Their call is described as a three-note whistle, the last note highest pitched and prolonged. The call is a wheezy, whistling “seasick, seasick”, call, uttered in flight. Shy and nervous, they fly off at the slightest hint of danger. A flock will fly quickly, and in a direct manner, usually in chevron formation. This duck flies like a goose with its long neck sticking out and drooping below the body, and wings beating rapidly. Lesser Whistling Ducks are different from other ducks in having longer legs, a squarish head and an erect goose-like posture when alert. Their wings are also rounder and broader. Unlike other ducks, males and females look similar, and there is no special breeding plumage.
Pair of Lesser Whistling Ducks
Lesser Whistling Ducks prefer a nest site near freshwater with dense vegetation nearby where their chicks can immediately reach the water after hatching. Usually in a bed of tall reeds, sometimes in a hollow log, or even an abandoned heron’s nest. They build a shallow cup of grass, on or close to the ground. They may rearrange surrounding vegetation to form a roof with a side-entrance. Sometimes they nest in trees. 10-12 creamy white eggs are laid. If the nest is closer to the ground, parents will distract predators by faking a broken wing and moving away from the nest.
Pair of Lesser Whistling Ducks on Paddy field
EXIF info…
Camera:
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
Lens:
EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM +2.0x
Exposure Mode:
Manual exposure
Exposure Time:
1/500 sec.
Exposure Bias:
0.0
Aperture (F Stop):
f/7.1
ISO Used:
400
Flash Used:
Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode.
White Balance:
Daylight
Focal Length:
600.0 mm
Metering Mode:
Spot
Date Time:
2011:08:07 15:05:48
GPS Location in Google Map:
12° 56' 5.5" N, 74° 55' 14.8" E, 17 m.a.s.l.
Copyright ©
Krishna Mohan
All rights Reserved. This Image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or trasmitted in any forms or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying & recording without my written permission. If you’d like to make usage request, just ask: drkrishi@drkrishi.com
EXIF info…
Camera:
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
Lens:
EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM +2.0x
Exposure Mode:
Manual exposure
Exposure Time:
1/250 sec.
Exposure Bias:
0.0
Aperture (F Stop):
f/5.6
ISO Used:
800
Flash Used:
Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode.
White Balance:
Daylight
Focal Length:
600.0 mm
Metering Mode:
Spot
Date Time:
2011:08:07 15:07:48
GPS Location in Google Map:
12° 56' 5.5" N, 74° 55' 14.8" E, 17 m.a.s.l.
Copyright ©
Krishna Mohan
All rights Reserved. This Image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or trasmitted in any forms or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying & recording without my written permission. If you’d like to make usage request, just ask: drkrishi@drkrishi.com
EXIF info…
Camera:
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
Lens:
EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM +2.0x
Exposure Mode:
Manual exposure
Exposure Time:
1/250 sec.
Exposure Bias:
0.0
Aperture (F Stop):
f/5.6
ISO Used:
800
Flash Used:
Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode.
White Balance:
Daylight
Focal Length:
600.0 mm
Metering Mode:
Spot
Date Time:
2011:08:07 15:08:16
GPS Location in Google Map:
12° 56' 5.5" N, 74° 55' 14.8" E, 17 m.a.s.l.
Copyright ©
Krishna Mohan
All rights Reserved. This Image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or trasmitted in any forms or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying & recording without my written permission. If you’d like to make usage request, just ask: drkrishi@drkrishi.com
EXIF info…
Camera:
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
Lens:
EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM +2.0x
Exposure Mode:
Manual exposure
Exposure Time:
1/250 sec.
Exposure Bias:
0.0
Aperture (F Stop):
f/5.6
ISO Used:
800
Flash Used:
Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode.
White Balance:
Daylight
Focal Length:
600.0 mm
Metering Mode:
Spot
Date Time:
2011:08:07 15:08:16
GPS Location in Google Map:
12° 56' 5.5" N, 74° 55' 14.8" E, 17 m.a.s.l.
Copyright ©
Krishna Mohan
All rights Reserved. This Image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or trasmitted in any forms or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying & recording without my written permission. If you’d like to make usage request, just ask: drkrishi@drkrishi.com
EXIF info…
Camera:
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
Lens:
EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM +2.0x
Exposure Mode:
Manual exposure
Exposure Time:
1/250 sec.
Exposure Bias:
0.0
Aperture (F Stop):
f/5.6
ISO Used:
800
Flash Used:
Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode.
White Balance:
Daylight
Focal Length:
600.0 mm
Metering Mode:
Spot
Date Time:
2011:08:07 15:10:08
GPS Location in Google Map:
12° 56' 5.5" N, 74° 55' 14.8" E, 17 m.a.s.l.
Copyright ©
Krishna Mohan
All rights Reserved. This Image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or trasmitted in any forms or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying & recording without my written permission. If you’d like to make usage request, just ask: drkrishi@drkrishi.com
EXIF info…
Camera:
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
Lens:
EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM +2.0x
Exposure Mode:
Manual exposure
Exposure Time:
1/250 sec.
Exposure Bias:
0.0
Aperture (F Stop):
f/5.6
ISO Used:
800
Flash Used:
Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode.
White Balance:
Daylight
Focal Length:
600.0 mm
Metering Mode:
Spot
Date Time:
2011:08:07 15:10:32
GPS Location in Google Map:
12° 56' 5.5" N, 74° 55' 14.8" E, 17 m.a.s.l.
Copyright ©
Krishna Mohan
All rights Reserved. This Image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or trasmitted in any forms or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying & recording without my written permission. If you’d like to make usage request, just ask: drkrishi@drkrishi.com
Tags: Anatidae, Anseriformes, Asia, Aves, birds, Canon EF 2X II Extender, Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM, Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, Chordata, Dakshina Kannada, Dendrocygna, Dendrocygninae, Green, Gurupura, India, Karnataka, Mangalore, paddy, paddyfield, pond, Water
Posted in Nature, Photography, Wildlife | Comments (4)
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October 20th, 2011 at 10:38 PM
very good information both photographically as well as in point of description. very good picture . thanks for such wonderful photos
October 21st, 2011 at 9:07 PM
ಕಡಿಮೆ ಶಿಳ್ಳೆ ಹೊಡ್ಯೋರನ್ನ ಪರಿಚಯಿಸಿದ್ದು ಚೆನ್ನಾಗೇ ಇದೆ. ಒಂಟಿ ಶಿಳ್ಳೆ ಹೊಡ್ಯೋವನ್ನ ಕೇಳಿದ್ದೇನೆ.ಆದರೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಶಿಳ್ಳೆ ಹೊಡ್ಯೋರು ಯಾರು?
-ಶಿಳ್ಳೇಖ್ಯಾತ
November 10th, 2011 at 12:21 AM
Excellent shots. The paddy field’s green and contrasting color of the bird, makes these shots.
February 18th, 2012 at 3:03 PM
hi…nice article…wish something more could be given about there behaviour pattern and their origin…actually have developed asudden interest in the bird because there r so many of them in front of me…am on a week s holiday in agatala…and the lake outside my room is full of these birds who keep on singing the whole day..anyways ..thanks for the information.