Some behaviors I witness in nature remain unexplained even after much thought and review of multiple images documenting them. Such was the case three days ago at a pond near my home.
These grebes are typically pretty lethargic this time of year but on this morning things went a little nuts for a few minutes.
I’m always fascinated by both the process and the resulting photos of birds ejecting pellets.
Generally the White-faced Ibis is non-aggressive as it feeds in large groups of its own kind. Even when they accidentally bump into each other there is usually no aggressive response. But there are exceptions…
I spend enough time with Pied-billed Grebes that it’s not often I see something new. Just over two weeks ago I did.
For about three years now one of my photography goals has been to get a series of quality shots showing a Loggerhead Shrike regurgitating a pellet. My requirements were that the images must be sharp with good detail and light, there must be no significant distractions or clutter to interfere with the behavior, there should be light in the eye (a catch light) and the last shot must show the pellet after it has left the birds mouth. This post is a progress report of sorts on how I’ve fared with the goal. I’ll include some lessons I’ve learned and mistakes I’ve made so I hope you’ll bear with me through a few less than ideal images which help to illustrate some of those lessons. 1/1250, f/8, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc This was my first image of a shrike ejecting a pellet (3/3/10). I didn’t anticipate it happening and wasn’t even sure what was going on until I processed the image. I got two almost identical shots that showed the pellet in the mouth and missed the pellet as it was ejected (I think I remember my buffer filling up just about then). I was also too far away for good image quality – this is a large crop. 1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc On the next opportunity (8/5/11) I was frustrated by obstructing branches and a poor light angle. While this young bird was ejecting the pellet it was facing mostly toward me which put its face and the pellet in shadow. Then the juvenile did something completely unexpected…
