A shoveler is standing in very shallow water with his back to the camera but his head turned so that his big beautiful shovel beak can be seen in profile. He is surrounded by dormant vegetation. The light is hitting him on one side so that his deep emerald green head and neck feathers show as well as his golden eye. The body is white and honey brown and the wings and tail are black with white markings. His legs are bright orange. To his right, almost completely out of frame, you can see just a bit of his mate. She is mostly brown and buff and much less flashy than the male.
#BirdoftheDay
#Photogenic
#LightandShade
I'm going for a twofer today. Personally, I think this Northern Shoveler is quite photogenic. And I like the interplay of light and shadow as well. #YMMV #AnahuacNWR February 2026
#birds #originalcontent #photography 📷🪶