Uninvited arrival

I was busy focussing on the Bee eater on the right, and as I pressed the shutter, the Bee eater on the left appeared in the frame. Interesting to see that the wings are totally folded, and he hasnt even landed on the perch. Taken a few weeks ago on a private farm.

Canon 50D
100-400 @ 400mm
1/500
F/5.6
ISO 640

Exp Comp +0.33
Hand held

Fabulous! Its great when a shot "happens" that wasn't expected. The new arrival seems to be keeping an eye on you.

Stuart,

How unusual is this?

Another winner?

Oh wow, great catch!

super moment here mate! and in killer light too

well done. when are you taking me there? ;)

Perfect timing it looks like it's floating. I like the perch-have I seen it before?:) Nice image Stuart!

Love the light in this one along with the eye contact from both birds. Well timed and well captured.

Wow. This one put a smile on my face when I saw the one bird in midair. Sharpness, colors, and two bugs astounding.

How was the ORIG framed??? I like the perch a lot.

Love the color on this one. Interesting moment as well!

thanks
Charles

Luck favors the prepared mind . . . you were ready to go with the single bee-eater, then the other one pops in. Looks as if you were set up for perching birds, which is why the cute little feet and the end of the tail of the flying bird are out of focus. But hey. I'd like to know how you'd framed the shot originally, Stuart. The way it's cropped now, it seems you were just waiting for the flying bird to drop in.

Thanks a lot for all the feedback. I will dig out the RAW file and post it, as I cant remember how I shot this. Was processed a few weeks ago.

For those who want to see the original- here it is. I processed this a while back, and even forgot that I cropped away the third bee eater. This is unedited.

Thanks Stuart. I was wondering how you managed such a nice COMP. Now I know.

IQ held up superbly.

Is Stu OK or do you prefer Stuart?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Arthur Morris

Thanks Stuart. I was wondering how you managed such a nice COMP. Now I know.

IQ held up superbly.

Is Stu OK or do you prefer Stuart?

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Thanks Artie. Im mostly called Stu.

Thanks Stu. Less letters is good :)

Love the shot. Nice golden light. :) Thanks for sharing the ORIG shot.

Hi Stu,

Too bad you had to crop away such a huge amount of the original. Still we are treated here with an excellent presentation! Love the perch, the light, the headturns, and the bees. Like Artie I am impressed about the IQ you managed to sustain here.

Troy Krijn, thanks a stack guys.