SNAPSHOT
Helena photographer CHRIS MCGOWAN took this shot of a drake common goldeneye last March at Freezout Lake during the spring waterfowl migration. “I was on a dike just east of U.S. Highway 89 when I saw four goldeneyes in a slough,” he says. “Earlier I’d been watching some tundra swans, but the colors of those ducks really caught my eye. I slid down the bank to the water’s edge and lay there for a while. They came to within about 15 or 20 yards of me and then started getting nervous. I was able to photograph this one just as he was taking off. Unlike mallards, which pop straight up from the water, goldeneyes take a running start. I like the captured motion in this shot, especially the spray of the water. You can tell he’s moving fast and about to lift off.” ■
6 MARCH–APRIL 2015 FWP.MT.GOV/MTOUTDOORS
