Clark's and Western Grebe

[Amy Marques]

I am not sure what this behavior is but these two different species sure did stay very close to each other. Image taken at Bosque.

Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM on ID Mark III
1/800s @ f/11 / Manual Exposure

[Daniel Cadieux]

Nice comparision image...always to have those in your files! Good behaviour from the far one. I wish for better separation between the two, and more room below as the head's reflection is skimming the edge down there. Tough to get them both in perfect focus, even f/11 wasn't enough...perhaps an additional round of sharpening will do good on the front bird.

[Amy Marques]

Nice comparision image...always to have those in your files! Good behaviour from the far one. I wish for better separation between the two, and more room below as the head's reflection is skimming the edge down there. Tough to get them both in perfect focus, even f/11 wasn't enough...perhaps an additional round of sharpening will do good on the front bird.

Hi Daniel. I have another image similar to this with some separation between the two, but with the bill closed. Another round of USM is advice well taken. Thank you.

[Amy Marques]

Also, the reflection was actually lower in the frame and quite broken up, so I cropped it where there was a bit of blank space. Do you think it would have been better to show more broken up reflection? Thanks!

[Marina Scarr]

Hi Amy:

Love the action/behavior you have captured here. I agree with your bottom crop if the reflection is not nice. The Clark's head could use another round of sharpening. Had they not been so close, you probably would have had them both in focus at F11. The fact that there is no separation here works for me in this case b/c of the behavior.

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

Excellent behavior Amy! :) Agreed with more USM on front grebe. Sounds like you girls had a blast at Bosque.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Also, the reflection was actually lower in the frame and quite broken up, so I cropped it where there was a bit of blank space. Do you think it would have been better to show more broken up reflection? Thanks!

Amy, if the reflection was so bad at bottom you could alterantely crop tighter down there...just enough to eliminate the face. Yet another option is to include the complete reflection, including the part you currently left out, and then clone in some water over the excessively broken-up reflection area...that is of course if you don't mind this type of image manipulation...

[Amy Marques]

Amy, if the reflection was so bad at bottom you could alterantely crop tighter down there...just enough to eliminate the face. Yet another option is to include the complete reflection, including the part you currently left out, and then clone in some water over the excessively broken-up reflection area...that is of course if you don't mind this type of image manipulation...

All great ideas, Daniel. And thank you for the cropping guideline on where to crop a broken up reflection. Very helpful!

[Amy Marques]

Excellent behavior Amy! :) Agreed with more USM on front grebe. Sounds like you girls had a blast at Bosque.

Yes we did, Akos! And I'm ready to do it again next year!

I guess that the time has come for me to wear reading glasses when PP so that I can better determine sharpness. :o

[Stephen Feingold]

This behavior is a defensive posture assumed in response to a hawk or the alarm call of another bird. The grebe is also giving an alarm call. Western grebe's may hang out with a Clark's grebe to attract a female.