Swallow Tailed Kite with Prey

[Michael Wolf]

Swallow Tailed Kite (Elanoides forficatus) with Iguana

Canon 1D3 | Canon 3002.8 IS | Canon 1.4X |
1/1000 @ 7.1 | ISO 800 | Flash - 1/3

[Alfred Forns]

Big Congrats Michael !!!

I know how difficult it is to have detail in shadows and highlights and this is impressive. Iguana is clearly visible and sharp with a good wing position.... and you got the blue sky !!! Best of the crop !!!

[Rod Wiley]

Very nicely done, great exposure. I think the lizard is a green anole though.

[Fabs Forns]

Very difficult exposure handled nicely, tough situation, unless the light is very soft.

Great capture for both.

Anoles don't have black stripes in the tail.

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

Hey Michael this is the best of this species I have seen so far in my life!
Congrats and thank you for sharing it.
Love to see the pray.

[Don Lacy]

Wonderful image Michael well composed and the Iguana puts it over the top.

[Rod Wiley]

Thanks Fab on the ID, this 15 year old Dell monitors got to go.

[Arthur Morris]

Lovely image and a great job of working with the relatively harsh light. Strange that one set of primaries is sharp, the other blurred. EXC SH on the eyes and the lizard.

I am not sure either way on the lizard ID. All the images of iguanas in Florida that I could find showed barring on the tail not stripes (at least as far as I could find). The iguanas are always described as "huge" and even the young are quite stocky (unlike the creature in this image). The shape of this lizard would seem to favor anole rather than iguana. Lastly, every iguana image showed a series of dorsal spines. If anyone knows for sure, please let us know.

[Fabs Forns]

They are hatchlings. Check out the tails:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/25/images/2006062519510201.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/25/stories/2006062519510200.htm&usg=__7gXTYxjXFQSxWo1NGSLzxDhBK2s=&h=230&w=351&sz=16&hl=en&start=11&um=1&tbnid=nlWG55jUdQf0YM:&tbnh=79&tbnw=120&prev=/images%3Fq%3Diguana%2Bhatchling%26hl%3Den%26client %3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1

[Lance Warley]

Great shot, Mike. As mentioned above, terrific job on a tough exposure.

[Hugh J McLaughlin]

Nicely done, Michael as it is very difficult to expose properly on a STK.

Hugh

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks for the link Fabs. If you can see the barring on the tail in the kite image you have much better eyes than me. Looks like a match for iguana.

[Fabs Forns]

If you can see the barring on the tail in the kite image you have much better eyes than me. Looks like a match for iguana.

I was there, that why I know.