Chance Encounter

I had a chance encounter with a wild Mandarin Duck in the Peak District National Park. While photographing a pair of Dippers feeding their young this handsome fellow and his lady turned up.

I managed a few images before they headed up the river, the colours of the male were just exquisite. They are extremely jumpy and wary when you come across them in the wild like this.

The beauty of photographing wildlife is that you never really know what will turn up. Often without warning you can witness something so beautiful, where you have seconds to react and capture that moment.

This for me is the real magic of being among nature in the countryside and being able to use my camera to record those special encounters.