I haven’t used the Nikon 200-400mm f/4 since February when I shot Snowy Owls so I decided to take it on a walk to McLane Nature Trail to look for ducks. As it turned out, there weren’t many ducks and the few Wood Ducks I did see had lost all their color since it was well past their mating season. There were babies, but they were past the really cute stage, so I continued walking and found a few wildflowers. I’ve never shot “macro” with a big telephoto before, but it was the only lens I brought, so I decided to give it a try. I had it mounted on a monopod with my new Kirk monopod head. I decided I really love that head. It offers much more control than my regular ball head.

So I got a few ducks, a Cedar Waxwing, and some flowers. Not a total loss.

Here is a sampling of what I shot that day. For the complete gallery, click here.