Great tailed grackle taking a sip

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

40d. 400f5.6L at f/6.3. iso 400. 1/320s. evaulative metering +1.

I was shooting ducks and this guy landed very close to me. Usually, I dont bother shooting them but the conditions were too good to ignore :-) I had to back up a bit to get the shot.

All C&C welcome and appreciated.

[Doug Brown]

Glad you didn't pass up on this opportunity! Love the low angle, the perfect head turn, and the open beak. Plenty of detail in the blacks, and sharpness is excellent. Like this image a lot!

[Sidharth Kodikal]

What a stunning image, Kaustubh. Beautifully composed and well exposed. The water and bg are sublime.
You really have a great location for bird photography.

[Jeff Dyck]

What a beautiful and unusual shot - not exactly how I would expect to photograph a grackle! The pose is excellent, great detail in the blacks and the background is just excellent. Well done.

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Thx guys. Here's an earlier frame in the series. I got one in betwen the two as well...in fact that has water drop dripping from the bill...but has head shake unfortunately. should have gone with ISO 640.

83475

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Forgot to mention... I had to clone some spots in the BG. I can see the evidence that I should clean up.

[Pieter de Waal]

Hi Kaustubh lovely image, the detail in the blacks are excellent and like the tinge of blue irridescence on the wing. Love the pose and beautiful quality of the water and background. What created the colour on the water?

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Water color is due to reflection of trees. Out here in Texas, this is the time leaves change color and start falling.

[Gary Esman]

Really like this, shows really how beautiful they are. Maybe a slight CW on the first post. TFS

Gary.

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Really like this, shows really how beautiful they are. Maybe a slight CW on the first post. TFS

Gary.

Gary, thx. I have lined up the reflection. It seems CW rotation is needed because the ripples are coming in at an angle.

[Danny J Brown]

Hey KD,

Grackles are a beautiful bird with an extraordinary eye and I shoot them every chance I get. I'm sure glad you decided to take a crack out of this one, even if out of boredom. A beautiful composition with my favorite type of foreground into background blur. The boat tail on this guy is awesome. Sweet comp, my friend.

DB

[Aidan Briggs]

KD, this is amazing!! Definitely one of my favorite's of yours. The perfectly exposed blacks, cool pose, and water colors take this one over the top!

Well done

[Charles Scheffold]

Great colors - love the background. Interesting bird as well.

[Pieter de Waal]

Thank you Kaustubh they certainly provide fantastic colour in these images.

[Chris Martinez]

I agree how could you miss an opportunity like this. The black on gold is fantastic.

[Kiran Poonacha]

All said Above.. i too loved the angle and colours in the frame KD... well done.

[James Salywoda]

WOW!!! This is fantastic one of the best that I have seen of this species way to go.......:)

[Stu Bowie]

Another stunner from you Kaus. Excellent exposure and detail in the darker plumage, and well timed to get the HA as it is. That BG puts this over the top. An opportunity well used.