Bee-eater in Low-Level Flight

[Grant Atkinson]

Canon 1Dmk4, Canon 70-200f/2.8 IS II lens, handheld from vehicle. S/speed 1.640s at f5.6, iso 1600. Ai servo focus, metering eval. Cropped from 16mp to 13.8mp. Feb 2011, Savuti bush camp, Botswana. Processed in ACR6 and PS5. Southern carmine bee-eater photographed hunting insects by flying low over grassland.
All C and C welcome
cheers
Grant

[Mike Milicia]

Cool topside view and excellent detail!
Might try lightening the eye a bit.

[arash_hazeghi]

nice wing position and great BG but the bird is a bit soft.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Details/sharpness look good from my end. Neat top view. Love the two red flight feathers on each wing. I wish the BG was less scraggly but still a good glimpse of grasslands it hunted over...

[Grant Atkinson]

Thanks for the comments guys. The BG bothered me a bit too...Daniel. Arash, sharpness on the birds head and body looked okay to me, but the wings are not too sharp at only1/640 sec. When the light is bright these birds get deep shadows under their wings, and when it gets soft like on this overcast day it is too dull for fast enough speeds..the challenges of photography:S3:
thanks for looking
grant

[Steve Kaluski]

A nice capture Grant, love the splayed wings and detail especially at ISO 1600.

TFS
Steve