Photographing ducks of the Greater Toronto Area during winter freeze and tricky light conditions

The arctic and sub-arctic have polar bears and walruses and Antarctica has penguins and leopard seals. Lots of photographers visit these two regions for wildlife and landscape photography. Admittedly, I have no desire to be near either of those two places. I have a perfect excuse not to. I enjoy winter photography in Ontario, because we get to see many beautiful ducks that breed in the subarctic region and fly down to us for wintering.

A flock of redheads, greater scaups, and mallards over partially frozen Lake Ontario

But, first thing first. Let me introduce you to the environment I walk pass through to do winter photography – frozen lake Ontario and frozen rivers and creeks with waterfowl on it under mostly cloudy days but sometimes in sunny conditions also (below).

The cloudy days of winters do give you images that seem soft (as if the subject is out of focus or blurred).

Please enjoy different species of ducks that winter in different types of water bodies in southern Ontario. All the shots are mostly straight out of camera, i.e., subject to least post processing.

Long-tailed ducks

When a wildlife photographer friend saw them first, he thought they were pheasants. I call them pheasant-tailed ducks.

Buffleheads

American wigeon

Northern Pintail

Hooded merganser

Red-breasted merganser

Common merganser

A duck on a narrow ribbon of water running through frozen water of the river

White-winged scoter

Scoter ducks and drakes in shallow waters of Etobicoke Creek

A scoter drake in the deep choppy waters of Lake Ontario.

American black duck

Greater scaup

Common goldeneye

Harlequin duck

Gadwall

Mallard

Final words

Until our next blog, au revoir! Be outdoorsy, embrace diversity, and support causes for the conservation of nature!