Mallard's-eye view - Graham Eaton - Wildlife Photographer of the Year2007

2007: Animal Portraits - Runner-up

Graham Eaton Enlarge image Mallard's-eye view

Graham Eaton (United Kingdom)

Mallard's-eye view

'It was a cold October day and I was diving in Llyn Padarn, north Wales, to get the local mallards used to me. I wanted a shot of one feeding under water. This one came for a look every day. One day when there was clear water and a still surface, my nosy friend swam over and I saw the shot, a frame of sunburst.' Mallards are dabbling ducks. They forage for insects and occasionally fish near the water's surface or up end to reach food deeper down. British mallards may live in the UK all year round, while many Icelandic and northern European birds only spend winter in the UK. While the female is brown, the male has a distinctive metallic green head, brown breast and white neck ring.

Nikon D200 + Nikon 12–24mm lens at 12mm; f11 at 1/125 sec; ISO 100; Sea & Sea housing; two Sea & Sea YS 90 strobes.