This exhibition put all other wing-flaps I’ve seen to shame.
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
I photographed this Pied-billed Grebe several months ago at Farmington Bay. Usually when I witness water birds flapping their wings in place I can barely get my lens trained on them before the performance is over but this bird proved to be an exception. As soon as it began I fired a burst that quickly filled my buffer…
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
and the grebe just kept flapping so after my buffer cleared I started to nurse my shots.
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
The exhibition lasted so long that there were periods of time that I stopped shooting and just watched the performance through my lens.
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Occasionally I fired off an individual shot or two as the grebe turned a little in the water to give me a slightly better profile.
1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Then when it was finally over the grebe settled down into the water but continued to hold its wings out in this position for quite a while.
I suspect that this exhibition may have been more than just exercise – that it was some kind of display meant to have meaning to other nearby grebes. If so I don’t know what it might be but it certainly impressed this photographer. In the end I took 88 shots during the display (much of the time I wasn’t even shooting) and liked 48 of them enough to keep them.
For me the behavior was at least as interesting as the images. I’d estimate that it lasted 20 seconds or more – a new record in my experience.
Ron
Bird Zumba maybe? 😀
What an amazing sequence. And comments. Patty and Laura both have me snorting. Just as well I don’t yet have my first cup of tea.
Agreed, EC. Patty and Laura often have me snorting too.
LOL EC! I’d hate to have you snort your coffee! 😀
Did it ever occur to you that this bird was trying to get its roll on to dry??? I’ve had that problem myself…sometimes it seems to tske forever!!!
“Did it ever occur to you that this bird was trying to get its roll on to dry”
Dang, Patty, that must be it. You’re a better resource for bird behaviors than BNA Online!
Thanks, Ron, for these great images! Sometimes I think it is as much fun sorting through the images as it is actually shooting. It’s like opening up a gift to see what’s in the box.
Exactly, Jane. You just never know what you’ll find in that “box”. Occasionally it’s some pretty interesting stuff.
Great photos! The wings are so narrow and not that long either. They must have an extremely fast flap in order to get up to cruising speed.
“They must have an extremely fast flap”
Good observation, Mark, they do. That’s one of the reasons I had such a fast shutter speed for these shots. I wanted to get the wings sharp.
Wonderful shots Ron. I think they do sometimes say, “You wish you had wings, don’t you? Sucks to be you!”
One of the cool things with falcons is they’ll often flap their wings on the perch, holding tightly onto the perch with no intent of flying. Most of us call it falcon aerobics. It’s just beautiful. Oh but I love birds! Yep, wish I had wings…nice big ones like an eagle! Gotta be careful what you wish for…female roaches have wings, too! So be sure to specify when you wish just in case the reincarnation folks are right! 😀
The falcon behavior you describe is one I’ve yet to see in a wild bird, Laura. Though I have noticed that some falcons raise their wings up and hold them there for a moment or two before taking off. Don’t think I see that in other raptors.
Ron, I OCCASIONALLY (read rarely) see it with Mariah (female redtail hawk) and Jack (male Harris’ hawk), but it does NOT happen often. Conversely, I see it several times a day with this female Kestrel and other falcons/tiercels at meets and such. Falconers tend to call it rowing or falcon aerobics. Shakespeare called it rowing, so that’s NOT a new phenomena!
Kind of like one of those great b-i-g stretches in the morning. I think the Grebe was just taunting you ….I can just hear him saying ..”bet you wish you had wings!” Thank you again Ron. Great shots..as always.
If so that grebe would be right, Steve. I often wish I had wings!
Ron:
Interesting sighting, great photos, and, as always, thank you.
Thanks, Richard.
Beautiful shots of such a cute bird! 🙂 Probably needed a rest and a meal after that. 🙂 Don’t envy you sorting through all those shots.
“Don’t envy you sorting through all those shots’
It beats the heck out of getting nothing I like, Judy!