Mergansers and a Pied-Billed Grebe fishing

[snostorm]

Hi All,

The sun was setting and the sky was a bit hazy, so the light wasn't really good.

I was able to grab a few shots before it got dark.

Red-Breasted Mergansers. These guys don't breed around here -- they're just passing through. The first I've seen, and they were over 100ft away. This is about a 1/2 frame crop.


The rest are Pied-Billed Grebes. I usually see these one at a time on the local lakes, but today, there were 3. I was lucky enough to get pretty close to one in the time I had.


Then I got really lucky, and was able to get this series -- capturing this was also a first for me.






All taken with the K20, ISO 320, Tamron SP300 + P F 1.7x AFA (510mm, f4.8 ) All shot from a tripod. Exif is intact.



Scott

[mtngal]

All I can say is wow! That first of the series is incredible.

Have you noticed that the K20 gives you more of a 3D feeling in some pictures? I've noticed it once in a while, hard to explain. It's probably my imagination.

[mikes3502]

Nice Work !! I reallylike the fish eating series, must have been an exciting capture.

[ennacac]

Nice shots, good catch, both you and the Grebe.

Tom

[snostorm]

mtngal wrote:

All I can say is wow! That first of the series is incredible.

Have you noticed that the K20 gives you more of a 3D feeling in some pictures? I've noticed it once in a while, hard to explain. It's probably my imagination.

Hi Harriet,

Thanks! The 3D thing is hard for me to quantify. Certain lenses seem better at capturing this than others. I think one of the things that make this happen is crispness in the subject, and a very smooth transition to OOF. I think that (what I've perceived to be) increased focus accuracy in the K20 might contribute.

Scott

[snostorm]

mikes3502 wrote:

Nice Work !! I really like the fish eating series, must have been an exciting capture.

Hi Mike,

Thanks!

Capturing water birds with their catch is very satisfying for me. I get very few total chances at these Grebes, so this was even better than usual. Of course, better light would have been nice, the colors are pretty muted. . . but that just gives me something to shoot for in the future. . .

Scott

[snostorm]

ennacac wrote:

Nice shots, good catch, both you and the Grebe.

Hi Tom,

Thanks!

I've been able to watch them diving quite a bit, but I think they concentrate on smaller fish, and end up swallowing them underwater, or right after surfacing -- too quick for me to see as I have to find them first. This is the first time I've seen one (and had the camera aimed at about the right spot when it reappeared) that still had the fish in its beak after surfacing -- I think that the fish was just bigger than usual -- but it didn't have any problem swallowing it.

I think I might have found a way to predict where they'll resurface -- I noticed yesterday that there's a bit of a bubble trail, so I at least have an idea which direction they're swimming.

Scott

[brokenbokeh]

Wow, that series of the fish catch and consumption is very cool. I think we all aspire to those kinds of photos, and you did a great job.

[mtngal]

Glad I'm not the only one that sees that effect. I noticed it yesterday when shooting with the A*300 - there was a different quality to the pictures than I had seen a year ago when I tried to photograph track with the K10. I don't see it all the time, just once in a while. I'm not surprised that I see it more with the A*300 - it's always been my best quality lens (though I'm appreciating the 50-135 more and more).

[bilybianca]

Very nice series of the Pied-Billed, Scott. Thanks for posting.

Kjell