Yesterday I posted a single photo, taken two days ago, of a male Long-billed Curlew beginning to take off on Antelope Island. In that post I mentioned that I got quite a few flight shots of him after he took off but at that time I hadn’t reviewed them carefully so I didn’t really know what I had. Last night I looked at them more carefully and mostly liked what I saw, so today I’m posting the flight series.
The first nine photos below are sequential without any skips. After that there are skips and I’ll tell you where they are and why I skipped them. If you’re not on a mobile device you can determine where the skips are yourself by passing your cursor over the image and reading the image file numbers.
This is the photo I posted yesterday of the beginning of his takeoff run up a slight slope. I’m including it in an effort to tell the entire story of his takeoff and early flight.
Still running and about to push off.
Liftoff.
The only vertical composition in the series. I really like this shot but I like a lot of the others too.
Dang, I sure wish we could see his eye.
I thought about cloning out the out-of-focus vertical green stem about to poke him in the butt. Once I noticed it I couldn’t not notice it but in the end (bad pun intended) I let it be.
As the background became further away from the bird, those vertical stems gradually became blurrier and less of a distraction, at least for me.
But the stems are about to be replaced by another distraction.
As the curlew gained elevation, a broad tan band began to appear at the top of the frame. It’s so different from the rest of the background it pulls my eye away from the bird. Maybe it bothers me more than it does you because I know what it is.
It’s a primitive dirt road that….
began to take up more of the frame as the curlew gained elevation.
After this shot I’m going to skip three photos because:
- I didn’t like his flight posture in #0993
- I clipped both wings in #0994 and
- his nictitating membrane was closed and his eye was partially closed in #0995.
In this shot, #0996, I think the tan band caused by the dirt road is a little too much but I’m including it anyway.
OK, I’ve had just about enough of that road so after this photo I’m once again skipping three shots.
In this last photo I’m including today the road is finally gone but it’s being replaced by Great Salt Lake at the top of the frame, which I find more pleasing to the eye.
I was very pleasantly surprised to get this many (actually more) sharp photos of the curlew in flight, with him in excellent light and without clipping or cutting off body parts. Some of the credit for that goes to the Canon R5 with its animal/eye detection autofocus feature.
When it works well (it often doesn’t, or it doesn’t work at all) it blows me away.
Ron
Note:
Image techs for these photos are in the range of: 1/2500 – 1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc
Wonderful series, I had to wait to get home to look on a big screen.
Thanks, April. A big screen makes a big difference. Hope you didn’t get sunburned today.
Another great series. I like these.
Really like #4 (the vertical). Elegant.
#5 looks like an Egyptian glyph come to life.
Thanks Ron.
Thank you, Michael.
Another fabulous flight series, Ron! I think my two favorites are the vertical shot (surprise, surprise) and the “peek-a-boo” shot just after it. There’s something about that shot with just the gangly legs and long proboscis jutting out from the triangular wing positions that is tickling my funny bone. 😂
Thanks, Marty. Tickled funny bones are a good thing.
Stunningly fabulous series…I was really “in flight” along side this gorgeous curlew as I viewed your photos❣️ Immensely grateful for your generous sharing and educating a “bird newbie” as myself ❣️✅❣️
Glad you enjoyed them, Carolyn. Thank you.
These are gorgeous. I love the warm colors of the curlew. Can’t even begin to pick a favorite 😊
Awe and wonder. Which is an excellent way to start the day.
Thanks, EC.
They’re all lovely shots of this beautiful bird (even with the hidden face/eye) but I think the last is my favorite—streamlined as Granny Pat mentioned, and graceful — with complementary background adding to its perfection!
Thank you, Chris. Good eye to spot the complementary factor in the background. The backgrounds in this series were largely green until that last shot when it was more similar to that of the bird.
“The Annunciation” by Fra Angelico–the wings that came to mind………
Found it. And I see what you mean. Thanks, Kris.
Primaries, secondaries, tertials aplenty and the patterns they make.
Wings and shadows of wings on wings. Thanks for posting the extended version.
Thanks, Lyle. Good to know you didn’t think I posted too many.
Wonderful series in all respects. I know you wish the eye was showing in that one photo just after takeoff but I think it’a perfect. It shows how far forward the wing moves in the “down” stroke. It’s the forward portion of the downstroke that generates lift by moving an airfoil through the air. Just moving up and down will accomplish nothing. More power and lift is needed to get fully airborne and this, along with the rest of the series, shows. that very well.
Interesting point about the wing stroke, Dan. I don’t think most folks realize that.
What a perfect and beautiful series – I like 9, 10, and 11 best …….. but all outstanding That little bit of blue in the last one does add to the photo.
And throughout not even one clipped wing. A very steady hand.
“and throughout not even one clipped wing.”
Well there was one that I didn’t include, Everett. But only one so I was very happy about that.
Wow! I have a new appreciation for the curlew markings. I’ve never seen them in flight before and always 2nd hand so this is a treat. They look a lot more “comely” in flight than on the ground; that beak and those legs may be highly specialised for accessing tasty treats in shallow water but they look elegantly streamlined in flight.
Interesting observation about their legs and beak in flight, Granny Pat.
Beautiful series, Ron…….:) Luv #5 with just the beak peaking out…
Thanks, Judy. Wish we could see his eye in that one.
“Just saying,” I love your amazing photography and your love of birds and your attitude and coments on life! I never miss a one! Thanks
Very good to know, Gail. Thanks.
What a graceful, stunning series…..looking at the “single vertical shot” made
me wonder if Renaissance artists modeled their concept of angels’ wings on
the shape of curlews’ wings– that one vertical shot immediately brought to mind a famous “Annunciation” painting–kneeling angel with powerful, vertical wings standing at attention–shaped just like those of your curlew following
liftoff………
Well, now I’ll have to look for that painting online, Kris. Thank you.
“Running…. Up! Up!! & Away!!!”
Great series…. no butts about IT! 🙂
“no butts about IT”
Ha, I started it ‘butt’ you finished it, CJ.
Those are really nice.
Thank you, Jimmy.