This has to be one of the most photographed ducks in all of Canada. I shot this mallard family every chance I got - from Spring to Fall - under all kinds of conditions. I camped on the island to be on the pond before they arrived. I shot them in the rain from under tarps. I hid under the bridge in leaky waders to get an eye level perspective from the dam. And I sat in a blind for hours, recording their development from their first trips around the pond to their departure in the fall. You’d think after all that time being around them, after all the fish chow they stole from our trout and bird food that they’d waddle up on shore to feed on, after the many times I protected them from the dogs and chased away the mink, you’d think they’d accept me. But to the very end of their time on our pond, they never once let down their guard and made me work for every pixel. It’s a thankless job.
