Avocet (Initial stages of mating ritual)

[Richard Unsworth]

Hi

First off the female will lower her head to the water, as shown. The male will then show indifference ie just walk about looking uninterested. He will then join her
and begin splashing water all around her. Suddenly he will then climb on and mate. After mating the birds shoot off rapidly in opposite directions!:t3

Fcinating to watch and I am priveledged to have captured the whole sequence in a series of frames.

This shows the early stage where the male comes close and starts to splash her.

Process ed in DPP/Nik/PS5

7D 100-400 @ 400 CLOUDY TRIPOD SS 1/640 F7.1 ISO 640 Ev +1.33
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[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Richard, nice moment, good exp. , good call on f-stop, excellent subject angles. Angle a little too steep and birds a little small in the frame for my taste. Must have been an exciting opportunity. Catchlight would have been nice...hope you get another opportunity in better light.

[Karl Egressy]

Very interesting description and a very nice picture, Richard.

[Richard Unsworth]

Thanks Kaus' and Karl

The nicer bit is when mating actually occured they were much closer, and the frames are much better :S3:
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