A living, breathing thing

[John Chardine]

We have had a fantastic weekend with 300,000+ Semipalmated Sandpipers at Johnson's Mills, New Brunswick. It's hard to imagine populations are in decline when you see this many. 3000+ images later I have a task on my hands but this one caught my eye of a flock evading a Peregrine Falcon. They ball up and the flock almost becomes a living thing. I love the way the flock casts a shadow on the water. People often wonder how birds in a flock like this coordinate their flight. I don't think they do. Each reacts to their nearest neighbours thus creating a "Mexican Wave" through the flock. In case you are wondering, the sandpipers do not generally react to gulls.

I increased the contrast with Nik Color Efex Detail extractor, then a little more with a Curves preset. I was shooting through humid air over the water and this washed out any colour and contrast there was. At full-res 100%, shimmer is affecting the IQ of individual birds but at this resolution you can't see it. Cropped and sharpened.

Date: 18 August, 2012, Time: 1250h
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM +1.4x, @ 260 mm
Program: Manual
ISO 800, 1/1600s, f/7.1
Flash: off

[gail bisson]

This is really cool! I like it a lot and the 2 gulls really add to the image.
I like the black and white feel to this as well.
It is nice to know where all the semipalmated sandpipers are as I have seen a total of 2 birds on our beaches this week! You have them all!
gail

[Jack Breakfast]

I love this and will travel to NB someday to see these birds, and others. A dream of mine, to be sure. If this shot were mine I would absolutely lose the flying gull to the left of the flock but keep the others. Good for you; this is truly lovely.

[John Chardine]

Thanks Gail and Jack. The whole upper Bay of Fundy is full of Semis right now, both on the NS and NB sides. However, numbers are declining as they gain mass and leave for their direct flights to South America.

Jack- let me know when you are down this way. Semi season is late July-August with a peak usually in mid-August.

[Lorant Voros]

This is a pretty cool image. I like the feel of it very much. Well done.

[Jack Breakfast]

John, thanks again for the inspiration. Will likely be venturing down NEXT summer instead. The funds aren't there now, it's just out of the question. I'm resisting the urge to create some sort of obnoxious and unbearable "no funds for the Bay of Fundy" pun, but I don't have it in me. I'm planning to visit Bonaventure Island as well...I've never been east of MONTREAL in this fine country. I still can't believe it. Come to think of it, I've never been west of London, ON. I'm ashamed of myself...

[Robert Holguin]

A very interesting image and I love it. Excellent behavioral shot and i really like the gulls.
Very well done.

[Ben_Sadd]

Great capture of this cool behavioural phenomenon. At this size I like the gulls included as they add some scale and perspective.

[Bill Dix]

John, this is a terrific capture. I have wanted to get this behavior, but haven't managed to do so. Seeing yours, I'll keep trying. Clouds of blackbirds over a cornfield offer a similar opportunity, and last fall I saw 400 or 500 Avocets take off almost as a single entity when a pair of young Peregrines harassed them. Thanks for sharing it. We have had lots of Semis here in New Jersey this past week or so, as they stop over on their way south.

[Arthur Morris]

A very neat ball of birds. I love everything about it except for the gull beneath the flock which throws off the compositional balance. The other two add to it.

[Randy Stout]

John:

I like this one a lot, makes me think of a bait ball in the ocean, with thousands of small fish swimming in a group.

I like that the flock feathers out a bit at the edges so you can get a better sense that there are individual birds in the flock.

Too bad one of the gulls wasn't a peregrine!

Well captured.

Cheers

Randy

[Marina Scarr]

Love what you have done with this one, John. I agree that the bottom gull detracts slightly from the image, and I wish the top left gull looked "whole." Regardless of those 2 little points, I would be over the top over this image if it were mine.

[Thanaboon Jearkjirm]

This is really neat, love the ball shape flock very much. I don't mind the wash out color at all.

[Charles Glatzer]

John, Killer image!!!!!

[Satish Ranadive]

Excellent behavior phenomenon (also called as "Murmunation") captured.I like the reflection and composition.

Regards,
Satish.

[Greg Basco]

Very cool, John!

Cheers,
Greg Basco

[Daniel Cadieux]

This is very cool. I love the shadow this has cast on the water! The gull directly underneath the mass could go, but either way this is quite impressive.

[Manjeet & Yograj Jadeja]

nicely done, breathtaking thing :)

[Doug Brown]

A fascinating behavior to witness! You've done justice to it with this photo, although I do agree with Artie about the gull at the bottom of the sphere. Congrats!

[Jim Crosswell]

Great image John!

[annmpacheco]

John,

I love it, it is the magic captured and it is awesome. thank you

[Ofer Levy]

This is unique and interesting.
Cropped a bit off the top and I feel the image is asking for B&W presentation....:w3

[John Chardine]

Thanks Ofer and others.