Show your Bird Portraits

[ERHP]

For reason the less exotic birds and ducks rarely get their moment in the sun so here's a Pied Billed Grebe posing for a moment before going back to chasing dragonflies using a somewhat different technique.

 

[Jack Douglas]

So what's the technique?

Jack

 

[GP.Masserano]

CANON EOS 6D + 100-400 MKII
CANON EOS 7D II +100-400MKII

 

[ERHP]

Jack, the grebe will continue to scan until it sees a dragonfly(or better a mating pair) lite on a low branch or reed. It then submerges swimming towards the target, then pops its head out of the water just enough to look around and verify the prey is still present. Then it re-submerges and pops up on its prey with about a 60-70% success rate. Sometimes it speared the reed itself and the dragonfly(s) were able to escape. I saw it get six dragonflies in a very short time.

 

[Click]

Beautiful pictures, ERHP.

 

[Click]

CANON EOS 6D + 100-400 MKII
CANON EOS 7D II +100-400MKII

I really like the first picture. Nicely done.

 

[Viggo]

Today was my first outdoor shooting with my newly acquired Zeiss 21mm.

One metal bird and one organic one

 

[tron]

CANON EOS 6D + 100-400 MKII
CANON EOS 7D II +100-400MKII

I have shot very similar pictures to 2 and 3 but I am crazy about 1 and 4

 

[Click]

Nice shot, Viggo. Congrats on your new acquisition.

 

[Jack Douglas]

Jack, the grebe will continue to scan until it sees a dragonfly(or better a mating pair) lite on a low branch or reed. It then submerges swimming towards the target, then pops its head out of the water just enough to look around and verify the prey is still present. Then it re-submerges and pops up on its prey with about a 60-70% success rate. Sometimes it speared the reed itself and the dragonfly(s) were able to escape. I saw it get six dragonflies in a very short time.

That's amazing - great shot.

Jack

 

[Jack Douglas]

Viggo, quite a shot!

Jack

 

[Viggo]

Viggo, quite a shot!

Jack

Thanks Jack! You too Click!

I love that lens just right off the bat. Awesome sauce 8)

 

[tron]

Jack, the grebe will continue to scan until it sees a dragonfly(or better a mating pair) lite on a low branch or reed. It then submerges swimming towards the target, then pops its head out of the water just enough to look around and verify the prey is still present. Then it re-submerges and pops up on its prey with about a 60-70% success rate. Sometimes it speared the reed itself and the dragonfly(s) were able to escape. I saw it get six dragonflies in a very short time.

Excellent photo! What kind of grebe is it?

 

[tc202]

Northern Pintail cruising by

 

[Click]

Very nice picture. Well done, tc202.

 

[Mikehit]

Jack, the grebe will continue to scan until it sees a dragonfly(or better a mating pair) lite on a low branch or reed. It then submerges swimming towards the target, then pops its head out of the water just enough to look around and verify the prey is still present. Then it re-submerges and pops up on its prey with about a 60-70% success rate. Sometimes it speared the reed itself and the dragonfly(s) were able to escape. I saw it get six dragonflies in a very short time.

A great moment captured, and a wonderful description of behaviour. Thank you.

 

[Vern]

Finally from Saturday, I put the 2xTC back on the 400 to capture a Great Crested Grebe wrestling with about as large a fish, a perch, as he could manage. The lighting was very difficult, back lit against very bright light reflecting off the water. I got it respectable by increasing the exposure and microcontrast in RAW, using DxO, then lifting shadows in Photoshop with some further tinkering.

Really nice result for tough conditions. Do you ever use a fill-flash? Might have been helpful in this light.

Maybe I should try flash. Trouble is I am an opportunistic photographer, chancing on opportunities, and there usually isn't time to change bits of gear and often the birds are a fair distance away. But, I'll take flash on my next outing.

I use the better beamer as a tele flash extender. Pretty cheap and easy to use. Agree though that you can't carry every option if you just want to go for a walk and capture things as they come. Here's a backlit owl pic where the flash was helpful (though I had to fix the eyes a bit in post).

 

[Jack Douglas]

Vern, just got the beamer but have yet to use it. I can't picture much mobility with it on-camera, like tree branches going down a path or whatever. Do you assemble it just before you need it?

Jack

 

[Click]

Nicely done, Vern.

 

[JMZawodny]

Northern Pintail cruising by

An exceptional result, one that I aspire to.