In a scene that lays bare the harsh realities of the wild, two male mallards have driven a female beneath the surface. Fueled by the urgency of reproduction, their instincts override restraint. This is not courtship as we would know it, but rather a desperate scramble for genetic legacy—nature’s darker side, playing out in the dappled light of a lily-covered pond.
Anas platyrhynchos
Shot with:
Canon EOS 6D + Sigma 150-600mm f/5.0-6.3
600mm | 1/4000 | f/6.3 | ISO6400