Cute but Doomed???

[Arthur Morris]

Monsieur Chris Dodds has made the 1.8 mile climb up to the gannetry on Bonaventure Island more than 135 times. In previous years, he had never once seen any chicks away from the nest, but this year, we had a large chick or two on the mowed grass on our side of the rope or in the taller grass just under the rope every morning. We noted that at least two of those large chicks had not survived. We found the bird in this image under the rope on my last morning...

Canon 70-200 f/4 L IS lens (handheld at 121mm) with the EOS-1D MIII. ISO 400. Evaluative Metering +1/3 stop: 1/320 sec. at f/8 set manually. On camera fill flash at -2 stops.

Don't be shy; all comments welcome.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Very cute and I hope he is going to make it. I like the hairdo, pattern on the bill, exposure control, details and included blade of grass.

[Linda Robbins]

Perfect exposure control, head angle and pose. The green grass adds interest. A lovely image all around.

I am curious though... do you know why these chicks are away from their nests?

_______________

Linda

[Arthur Morris]

I am curious though... do you know why these chicks are away from their nests?

Chris had no clue. Perhaps they had been abandoned... Good to see you back at BPN. Glad that you are feeling better.

[Joel Haas]

Great photo, but very sad suggestion/implication.

[Steve Canuel]

Hi Arthur,
Subject goes well with the BG color. I'm betting some will say that they would've removed the grass. I personally like the little splash of color it provides and it's detailed enough to draw interest without being a distraction. Looks pretty healthy but who knows what the parents/other birds may be picking up on.
Steve

[Arthur Morris]

Great photo, but very sad suggestion/implication.

Only sad if you believe your story, "All cute small things should survive." Death is commonplace at all gannetries as in all of nature yet the gannets are doing fantastically well. That said, I do hope that that one survived.

For more on loving what is, check out www.thework.com (http://www.thework.com)

[Maxis Gamez]

Hi Artie,

Thank you for sharing your story. The composition, fill flash and details works very well but I would remove the green. Just my opinion.

[david cramer]

Very nice use of fill, and the detail is great. Most likely abandoned, and may very well end up helping another species survive. A Great Horned Owl nest I photographed earlier this year had three chicks, and one got booted out after a few weeks and didn't make it. Year after year I've observed this mother only raises two chicks at a time.

[Haim Ziv]

Very impressive. I like the detail on the white.

[Arthur Morris]

I have lots of similars without the grass. For me, the grass makes the image.

[Julie Kenward]

I agree that the grass makes the image. It is just the splash of color to add another dimension to the image. I can't get over the beautiful pattern on the chic's beak...it's fascinating. I'm sure it's probably a camoflage issue, right?

[Arthur Morris]

Do you mean the stuff on the beak????????????????

[Julie Kenward]

Yes..the way the white swirls with the black. Camo? Or is it just dried bird poop and I really don't want to know? :eek::(:eek:

[Arthur Morris]

The adults feed by regurgitation only. The stuff on the bill is a combination of bits of the adult's feathers and bits of partially digested fish. Above is a typical feeding scene.

[Ed Cordes]

Cute bird, interesting, but depressing story. I agree the grass makes the image more interesting.

[Arthur Morris]

Cute bird, interesting, but depressing story. I agree the grass makes the image more interesting.

Hey Ed, As for depressing, see my post above on "sad," it is the seventh pane down from the top.

[Chris Dodds]

Hey Monsieur Morris,

First off, Love this image and remember photographing this baby.

I suspect the bird got out of it's nest and attacked while trying to find it's home as other Gannets were defending their nests. It probably kept moving out of the colony to get away from the attackers. While I'm still not certain, It seems there are no foxes on the island this year (for the fist time in many years), explaining why I've never seen a baby off it's nest before. I'm thinking they became fox food in the past.

Thanks again & very best,

Chris

[Arthur Morris]

Il a été un grand voyage. Merci beaucoups.