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Latin Name: Anas platyrhynchos (Mallard)
After the big wing flaps (shown in the previous two uploads) it was time to do a bit of preening ... especially the all-important tail, of course! So as we took a break from gardening with a cuppa', Daisy stood near our feet and happily preened her feathers!
Taken with my Canon EOS 7D and Canon EF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens and framed in Photoshop.
Better viewed in light box - click on the image or press 'L' on your keyboard.
This preening Sandhill Crane was among several at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary near Vancouver, British Columbia. The birds were wild but blasé about people within the refuge. This photo shows the large ‘bustle’ of feathers that cover the tail.
A Great Egret with wonderful backlighting preening it's feathers. Doesn't get any more beautiful than this. My favorite bird to photograph...I have to admit it finally... :)
Some lovely evening light on this preening White-headed Stilt (aka Pied Stilt - still not sure which common name is the 'right' one).
This killdeer was on a marsh preening itself with its mate. I was able to Kayak pretty close to it today.
not a bad afternoon pastime
:)
Dunlin DUNL (Calidris alpina)
"Inside" shoreline
Esquimalt Lagoon
Colwood BC
DSCN5612
There's often a flock of perhaps 2 dozen overwintering Dunlin this location.... we will see numbers building , as well elsewhere, at other locations , now that we are heading into spring..
This winter 'attire' is dramatically different from their breeding plumage
Preening is a bird health and beauty treatment..........
Preening is a bird's way of grooming its feathers to keep them in the best condition. While preening, birds will remove dust, dirt and parasites from their feathers and align each feather in the optimum position relative to adjacent feathers and body shape. Most birds will preen several times a day to keep themselves healthy.
Minutes before the sun sank below the horizon, this Great Blue Heron interrupted his frantic preening just long enough to check me out...
View on Black.
D3S 840mm f/6.3 (picture is not cropped).
Member of the Flickr Bird Brigade
Activists for birds and wildlife
What was the hardest part of this capture?
It was not the exposure. With a solid cloud cover, I was able to lock in a manual exposure for perfect results on every shot. In this case, I chose a 1/1000 shutter speed (the bird was moving a lot and quickly), an f/5.6 aperture (to isolate the bird using shallow depth of field) and ISO 160 to bring the brightest whites up to near RGB 255,255,255.
The challenge was not the tight framing of the bird. I was able to slowly belly-crawl close to the small flock of terns. So close that I only needed a 234mm focal length in front of the 7D II's APS-C sensor. I should have used a slightly wider angle still as I added a small amount of canvas on the left in post, providing additional breathing room for the wing.
The challenge was also not the low shooting position. Using the NatureScapes Skimmer Ground Pod II (www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/NatureScapes-Skimmer-...), I was able to push the camera forward as I crawled in the sand. Shooting from on the ground gave me a clean background (only sky) and the remaining land in the frame is primarily a blur of texture.
The big challenge? Timing the shutter release in conjunction with using the proper AF tactics to get this specific composition with the head included in focus. The sandwich tern cleaning process involved a wide array of moves, few of which I was able to predict and all of them fast. The head was constantly moving in what seemed like all directions and fast framing adjustment with a properly-selected AF point proved very challenging. A narrower aperture would have reduced the AF task, but the result would have been more ground in focus for a different look.
One aspect of this image that I like is the complete separation of the head from the body. Many of the preening positions did not have this attribute (and many had a completely hidden head). I also like the balance. While I don't often place my subject in the center of the frame, I felt that centered worked best in this case. The wing and tail balance the bird over the dark, eye-catching legs. The head extended to the right caused me to want the legs shifted just left of center to get what I felt was the right overall balance. My shooting position was low enough that only the legs intersected the color of the sand. The small amount of feather pulling through the bill is the bonus feature. I'll credit the 7D II's short shutter lag for enabling that timing.
This sandwich tern was on the gulf shores of Captiva Island, just north of Blind Pass. This location in southwest Florida is ideal for expanding one's bird photography portfolio.
Gear Used:
Canon EOS 7D Mark II
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens
NatureScapes Skimmer Ground Pod II
Camera and Lens Settings:
234mm f/5.6 1/1000s, ISO 160, 5622 x 3648px
Click on the image to view large. Get more camera gear and photo information at www.the-digital-picture.com/
#Canon #CanonPhotographers #Canon7DMarkII #Telephoto #Bokeh #Sand #SandwichTern #Nature #NaturePhotography #Wildlife #WildlifePhoto #WildlifePhotography #Bird #Birds #BirdPhotography #BirdPhoto #BirdsUnlimited #SeaBirds #Shorebirds #Birding #BirdWatching #USA #UnitedStates #Florida #Captiva #SanibelIsland #BlindPass #Photo #Photography
These two moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) are probably siblings. The one to the right is clearly enjoying being preened.
Diese zwei Wasserrallen (Gallinula chloropus) sind wahrscheinlich Geschwister. Die rechte Ralle geniest ganz offensichtlich die Aufmerksamkeit der anderen.
A mute swan preening; photographed at Peck's Mill Pond in Stratford, Connecticut. Copyright 2007 Jeff Wignall, all rights reserved. For more bird photos, visit my site at www.jeffwignall.com and click on galleries. Please also visit my Photo Tip of the Day blog.
Seen at San Diego Zoo Safari Park, CA, USA
It’s said that rare birds preen themselves right in front of your camera. I consider myself lucky to have captured the flamingo preening his feathers, as if he was inviting the whole world to watch him. He is entitled to publicly preen himself for having such gorgeous plumage.
Kingfisher preening.
(Adult Male).iso 400.
Sorry another KF.Still going through 9,800 shots.
Copyright Steve Waterhouse .©
Preening birds often sit relatively still in good light, but I find that they are not as graceful or beautiful when they are pulling themselves together. Who would be?
But this photo is interesting to me for the way the White Tailed Kite I stretching its wing, its leg and its tail feathers.