Black-necked Stilts Mating

Photographing this pair was simply one of the most amazing experiences. There was no action at Myakka River State Park on this particular morning, but I set up in my favorite spot just in case and waited. This pair landed right in front of me and did not disappoint. They tossed their beaks back and forth in the water causing the obligatory bubbles prior to mating. One still remains by the female's right leg. While I don't generally crop out virtual legs, I felt the image in this case was more powerful cropped, but made sure not to do so at a joint.

Canon 1D3, Canon 500 & 2.0 @ 1000mm
F8, 1/1000sec, ISO 640, manual mode
Feisol tripod, Jobu head

C & C always welcomed and much appreciated.

Very nice image Marina, I never seen stilts mating at all. The BG appears to have some noise.

Nature photography is a waiting game. It worked out beautifully for you, Marina.

intimate interaction Marina! love the HA for both. I only wish the top bird had his wings stretched. Would also sharpen them more

great work, the red eyes stand out

Nicely done. A wonderful image with good evening colors...Terry Johnson

Very special capture and I appreciate the back story. I agree with Troy regarding background. Thanks for sharing a wonderful image.
Ian

nice image Marina,like the water drops on end of bill,like the green water.

Fantastic scene and great colors.

Great looking shot of these two copulating and I like the HA on both of them and the red eyes. The open beak of the male with the water drop is really nice. The good look at the gangly legs of the male and the nice BG really set this off nicely. I do see a fair amount of noise in the BG as the others do, so an easy fix to a beautiful image. Well done Marina

Great capture and experience Marina...

Excellent moment captured. I like the red eyes and pink legs. Water droplets ant tip of beak looks great.
Beautiful colors and composition.

Regards,
Satish.

Beautiful action here. I'd sharpen the image a little more. There is some noise in the BG..strange at ISO 640. Very nice work.

Gorgeous image! Really like the background - the noise seems minimal, doesn't detract from the shot.

I do think that increasing the exposure (perhaps just the shadows) would improve the image a bit.

John

very well done marina you hve the knack for good luck

Love the two perfect head angles and the interaction. I'm fine with the crop from the bottom. In fact, I like everything but the boxy crop.

Lovely image Marina and those red eyes are amazing.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Arthur Morris

Love the two perfect head angles and the interaction. I'm fine with the crop from the bottom. In fact, I like everything but the boxy crop.

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I forgot to mention that this was a vertical image converted to horizontal.

Very nice one indeed Marina!
Love those bright red eyes and the perfect head angle given by both!

What a cool encounter Marina! The mating pose and the birds' 'expressions' are fantastic. I particularly like the water droplets at the tip of the male's bill and the bubble around the female's foot. Like the others, I do see some noise in the BG and I think the birds could stand some additional sharpening.