Juvenile Loon foot waggle

[Cheryl Ertelt]

Common Loon
Gavia immer
age 10 weeks

Last weekend I had the opportunity to photograph the loon chicks I first shot in June. They are now 10 weeks old and about the size of the adults. They attempt to fly but manage only starting runs with no take-offs. The chicks are able to feed themselves but continue to beg and take food from the parents. The chicks also swim off on their own for extended periods of time. This behqaviour is called a foot waggle.

Canon 1DMIIN with 500f/4 and 1.4TC, ISO 400, 1/400 @f/8 on Skimmer with Wimberely head, lying prone on a pontoon boat.

[Fabs Forns]

Spectacular profile, Cheryl, with beautiful BG, that foot is worth a smile :) That is one big chick!
It may be my eye but it could use a minimal CW rotation?

[Alfred Forns]

Love the pose and setting Cheryl !!! Particularly like the feel !!! If anything might give the expanding water circle a little room to see it fully Love this image !!!!

[Raymond Barlow]

very beautiful image, maybe a little more room on the bottom and right, it just looks a little centered to me., i am with Fabs on the rotation, slight CCW.

[Linda Robbins]

Gorgeous image, Cheryl! Great pose, beautiful soft light and sharp detail. The bg is lovely too. Must be so great to watch tand photograph their progress as they move toward independence. Very well captured.

[Aristotle Georgiou]

What more can be said but perfect image!

Excellent work.

[Jonathan Michael Ashton]

Absolutely superb image, beautiful colours and detail
Jon

[Vincent Grafhorst]

Love the awkward pose here Cheryl. It does need a rotation correction though and I wish for a bity more space at the bottom in this case.

[Ramon M. Casares]

Nothing to say but SPECTACULAR! Congratulations!

[Arthur Morris]

The thumbnail on this one did not look like much but when the image opened it took my breath away. Don't you love when that happens??? Wonderful light, wiggly foot, and perfect subject to imaging sensor juxtaposition. Way to go.

[Juan Aragonés]

Fantastic pose, light, angle and sharpness. I agree with Artie: the thumbnail do not makes justice to such an excelent image. congratulations!

[Gus Cobos]

Very well done. I like the foot...:cool: Good exposure, colors and details...:cool: