Another Blackbird Blur

[Cheryl Slechta]

Here's another blackbird blur from the same day of blastoffs. This one is not as abstract and you can certainly see the red-winged ones in there.
f/13, 1/60 sec., ISO 100

[Dennis Bishop]

The background colors add a lot to this. The reddish tones go well with the epaulets on the wings. It's fascinating that the birds in the upper part of the image are in almost parallel curved lines.

[Maureen Allen]

I love this, Cheryl. Just enough definition to recognize the birds and enough blur to show the amazing motion. Beautifully done!

There are a few "icky" areas above some of the birds along the top edge and a horizontal line in the sky about halfway between the top and the mountains. i'd make those go away.

[Paul Lagasi]

Now this one I really like, being able to identify the birds makes this image, for me. I love the colors and background. Very Nice

[Kerry Perkins]

Cheryl, it is nice to see more detail on the birds with just a hint of blur, which adds to the action. There are a lot of females in there too! I love watching these flocks do their "leap frog" dance from one area to the other - another of the charms of Bosque!

[Nancy Bell]

Love the feeling of intense motion. I just watched a BBC program that explained that in a massive bird flock, each individual bird takes its cue from 7 neighboring birds, faster than imaginable. This is the way they produce those amazing synchronized flights in the sky. The motivation, according to the BBC program, is to confuse predators such a Peregrine Falcons. I wonder how they determined it was 7 neighboring birds?