now that's a goose!

[John Chardine]

Well maybe not (see below). This is one of the sheldgeese of South America- the Kelp Goose, female, from New Island, Falkland Islands.

I cropped a little, ran NR on the BG and sharpened.

The Kelp Goose is a bizarre goose- it is a seabird in that it feeds on seaweeds at the shoreline. The sheldgeese are in the same subfamily as the shelducks and are intermediate between ducks and geese.

I'll post a male next. It's quite a different bird.

Date: 6 November, 2012, Time: 1432h
Camera: Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
Lens: EF400mm f/4 DO IS USM, @ 400 mm
Program: Manual
ISO 800, 1/800s, f/7.1

[Julie Brown]

Hi John. This is a very interesting bird! I really like the walking pose. Nice exposure-all of the colors look saturated, and I can see a lot of feather detail.

[Colin Gilyeat]

John, That is a very interesting goose. It almost looks like it is strutting. I like the colors , very nice detail on the feathers and face.

Colin

[Jeannean Ryman]

I always enjoy photos of critters I haven't seen before, and this is a nice one!

[Loi Nguyen]

JoHn, excellent shot with good colors and details. I have not seen this bird before! Was you standing or kneeling? Have you tried to lower yourself to the same eye level as the bird?

[John Chardine]

Hi Loi- I try to get as low as possible all the time, or at least at eye level. In this case I was low but all the birds were at the water's edge and the beach sloped down to the water, as they usually do! I could not get down to the water's edge without disturbing the birds so stayed up the beach a little. I tried to reduce the problem by shooting at an angle rather than straight down the slope to the water. This is a common problem on beaches.

[Kerry Perkins]

Hi John, thanks for posting this interesting and different bird. Nice image all around - love the color, detail, pose, exposure, and gotta love those feet!