Third in a series, Great Blue dancing???

[Dennis Zaebst]

This is another in a series I shot last month at Ding Darling, where the GBH exhibited behavior I haven't seen before. The GBH suddenly began flailing about as though it were copying a reddish egret or tri-colored heron. There were the other birds nearby, so perhaps that is the explanation. It's normal behavior when fishing is to stand motionless for long periods, and nabbing any fish that swim by.

Canon 1D Mark IV, ISO 800; EF 500 mm f/4L IS; 1/4000 sec. @ f/8.0. PP in LR 4.3. Selective sharpening and NR on BG. Because of the mild sidelighting, I used the shadows and highlight sliders liberally. I also used the adjustment brush to tone down highlights on the head. This is a moderate crop, representing about 75% of FF.

C/C always appreciated and learned from.

[gail bisson]

Hi Dennis,
I am not loving this one.
I don't like the pose, it looks awkward to me.
Techs look good and the image is sharp. I like the little feather floating on the water in RLC and the splash around the legs.
The head area looks "blotchy" ? due to PP.
I would clone out the dark spots in RUC if not against your ethics.
Gail

[Dan Busby]

Interesting and odd behaviour Dennis - very Reddish-like indeed. Looks to me like it is trying to look around a corner. I find this species difficult because the head is so small compared to the body and it's hard to frame a real point of interest - which is usually eyes. I think if the head didn't intersect the wing it would be better but it's none-the-less interesting.

[Melissa Groo]

Another cool shot of this un-GBH-like behavior! Looks just like some poses I saw that Estero Tricolored doing. Good call on your aperture as you have great sharpness throughout, including tip of beak. I like the intent look coming right at you. This could be a tricky one to figure out comp, but I think you did well. I could see even coming in a little bit tighter around top and sides.

[Robert Holguin]

Great shot!
I really like the intersting pose, love the water splash, nice light, and great IQ.
Well done.

[Dennis Zaebst]

I hesitated before posting this one, primarily because of the unusual pose of the bird, and the fact that the head intersected the wing. But every time I scrolled past it in the Library Module of LR, it struck me as an interesting picture. I have a few others which would have made great images too, but unfortunately, I clipped a toenail or a wingtip. If I had better PS skills, I might try my hand at fixing one or two.

In any case, I wanted to thank everyone profusely for the kind and helpful comments I received on this image, and on many past images too. I have learned a lot in a very short time, although some of those things I have yet to fully implement - but I'm working on it. Occasionally, a critical comment pained me temporarily, until I realized the commenter was right. As Artie often says, "Ya gotta love it". It's the only way to grow.

Thanks again.

[Karl Egressy]

Excellent hunting pose captured, Dennis. I saw and captured this behavior a few years ago in a local pond close to my home. I was surprised.