I enjoy photographing birds doing wing-flaps, partly because you tend to get such a variety of poses in a short period of time.
1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 400, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
I found this energetic Pied-billed Grebe last February at Farmington Bay. They usually give no warning before beginning a wing-flap and this bird had already been flapping for some time by the time I got my lens trained on it.
1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 400, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Sometimes I caught the wings in an up position…
1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 400, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
and sometimes in an intermediate position. Due to the timing of the flaps and my burst rate I never did get them in a down position.
1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 400, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
This little guy flapped long and hard..
1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 400, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
so hard in fact that one of its wings fell off.
Naw, just joshin’. Looks like it though, doesn’t it?
1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 400, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
I was a little surprised that my shutter speed of 1/2500 sec showed as little motion blur as it did with such a small bird. The smaller the bird the faster the wings move so I usually try to have more shutter speed for the little ones. This time I really didn’t need it.
Live and learn…
Ron
This sequence gave me a smile – and a chance to really study the appearance of these little birds. It looks as though wings do grow back after all! (A question we rehabbers have indeed been asked!!!)
Ahhh, the regenerative powers of the flatworms ascend to Aves, eh, Deborah? Made me smile…
These are such great close-up views of this behavior. Must be wing-flapping season for Pie-billed Grebes these days – I’ve seen them doing this both on the Gulf and the east coast of Florida. They’re so funny as they chase each other around, too, and appear to be actually running along on top of the water!
“appear to be actually running along on top of the water”
I know what you mean, Carol. I’ve seen (and photographed)that behavior often.
Wonderful shots Ron, thanks for sharing!
Charlotte
Glad you liked them, Charlotte. Thanks.
Big smiles. And awe. It does indeed look as if he jettisoned a wing in that shot. Not good for navigation…
“jettisoned a wing”
That says it better than I did, EC.
While I think of it, I was blown away by the great horned owl photos yesterday, too. What spectacular energy and texture – whew!
Alison, I’ll probably be posting another Great Horned Owl soon – this time a video clip. Pretty interesting, you might want to watch for it.
Wow, Ron, they’re all lovely. I’m especially taken with the first one – the way the wing position appears to embrace everything before it, and the deep blue churning water at its base. The colors are exquisite, too. Thanks for the treat!
Thanks, Alison. I can’t decide which on I prefer – the first or last shot.
Wonderful Sequence Ron !
Thank you, John. I enjoyed your Christmas greeting earlier today.
The flapping wings so hard that one fell off gave me a good chuckle. Thanks for a nice series of shots.
Good! Chuckles are a good thing…