I love your itinerant schedule: Downsview park – TTP – Humber Bay. What’s next? No, no, don’t tell me, I’m keen to guess. Certainly lots of ducks at Humber, as there should be. You mentioned Ruddy ducks but I can’t see any in your photos. I’ve seen them at Humber in March, when they were very sluggish. Believe me, I know from sluggish because I’ve have had so much practice at it. Ruddy ducks are worth the effort to photograph because their presence is not assured. I have always found them to be elusive subjects, as are Ring-necked ducks. Perhaps it’s just my lack of insight into their preferred hangouts.
The Ruddy ducks at Humber are usually congregated far from shore in a loose raft and that situation is entirely beyond the reach of my 200mm lens. The only time I spotted a group of Ruddy ducks somewhat closer to land was in the north-facing easternmost bay on the Humber Park spit. I had to walk the narrow strip of land between adjacent bays to reach a decent vantage point, identified by the presence of a dilapidated wooded platform several feet above the water level. Even here the ducks were too far away for a 200mm lens but it would have been a terrific opportunity for a 500mm – 600mm lens. The water was calm at the time, which was another bonus.
When light levels are very high, as it was on that occasion, it would be possible to use a TC even on a slow lens like yours. It would require manual focus and a small tripod, or bean bag to rest your camera on (the old wooden platform allowing this approach) because the effective f-stop with a TC coupled to your lens would be too dark to allow autofocus. The ducks are not moving so the subject is essentially a still-life. If I had a Teleconverter at the time I would surely have deployed it as a remedy for my shortsightedness. So, if you think you can shoot Ruddy ducks … go for it!
I can wait.
But not too long.
