Wing Flappin’ Pied-billed Grebe

I enjoy photographing birds doing wing-flaps, partly because you tend to get such a variety of poses in a short period of time.

 

pied-billed grebe 2031 ron dudley

 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.

 

 

pied-billed grebe 2033 ron dudley

 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…

 

 

pied-billed grebe 2035 ron dudley

 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.

 

 

pied-billed grebe 2036 ron dudley

 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..

 

 

pied-billed grebe 2040 ron dudley

 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?

 

 

pied-billed grebe 2051 ron dudley

 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

 

 

 

 

16 Comments

  1. 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!!!)

  2. 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!

  3. Wonderful shots Ron, thanks for sharing!
    Charlotte

  4. Big smiles. And awe. It does indeed look as if he jettisoned a wing in that shot. Not good for navigation…

  5. While I think of it, I was blown away by the great horned owl photos yesterday, too. What spectacular energy and texture – whew!

  6. 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!

  7. Wonderful Sequence Ron !

  8. The flapping wings so hard that one fell off gave me a good chuckle. Thanks for a nice series of shots.

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