White-Fronted Bee eater

[Stu Bowie]

I have just returned from a trip to the Mashatu reserve in north eastern Botswana. The area is in a severe drought, and the area hadnt received rain since last november. Fortunately for the area, and unfortunately for me, the rains arrived when I arrived, so not many opportunities whilst I was there due to rain and overcast conditions. Here is a Bee eater that had just bathed in a puddle close to our game vehicle and then perched close by. The perch may be large for some, but I do like the natural BG which was shot as is.

Canon 1D Mark IV
100-400 @ 400mm
1/640
F/7.1
ISO 640

Manual exposure
hand held from an open game vehicle


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[David Salem]

Great BG and exposed very well. Good side profile and HA. I personally like the natural rugged perch. Sorry you got bad weather on your trip. Mother nature!

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

I like it as is Stu. Wonderful BG and the perch rocks for me. Big or not... :D

[John Cooper]

This image has lots of appeal Stu. The wet feathers provide additional interest and tells a story. Great BG and the weathered perch, thoght a little large, has lots of interesting texture.

[Karl Egressy]

I like the raggedy perch and the bird is beautiful even when wet. Great image with nice background, Stuart.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Great image Stu, the perch is just fine for me it looks entirely natural. Sorry to read about the weather, hope you didn't lose out too much.

[Randy Stout]

Stuart:

Sorry about the rain.

Great tones in the is one, and I like the subtle greens in the BG which play with the birds colors. Yes, pretty big perch, but interesting shape and textures help. I like the story the wet feathers tell.

Cheers

Randy

[Vivaldo Damilano]

It always bad luck when weather changes for the worst esp in places like Mashatu where it doesn't rains often. I like the wet bird, IQ and good colors in the BG.

[Grace Scalzo]

Full of feeling. I actually like the wet look here. Sorry about the rain for your sake, tho.

[Stu Bowie]

Thanks a stack for the kind words everyone.

Yep, very dissapointing when you look forward to the trip, planned for months, and the weather doesnt play ball.

[Sanjeevprakash]

Nice Image Stuart.I like it as is.TFS

[Frank Schauf]

Nice composition and excellent expsoure control and sharpness.

[Stu Bowie]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. Always appreciated.

[Robert Holguin]

Excellent shot.
I really like the comp, great perch, very nice pose, wonderful background, and nice light.
Well done.

[Jim Crosswell]

Excellent image Stuart. I like the pose, perch, composition and BG.