Incoming Griffon

[Morkel Erasmus]

An endangered Rüppel's Griffon/Vulture comes in to land at a cheetah kill in the Masai Mara, Kenya.

Techs:
Nikon D3s
Nikkor 500mm f4 VR-II
f11 | 1/1000 SS | ISO-1400

F11 was for the multiple vulture squabbles on the ground.

[vishaljadhav]

Striking exposure, with the wings spread wide which looks lovely
the eyes and the claws are focused to pounce on the meal it seems
Not sure if its possible that the vulture can be captured wit the head above the wings may make it even more smashing, but i am very unsure of it as i have very little vulture observations to my knowledge

[Marina Scarr]

Killer angle, comp and landing pose, Morkel.

[keith mitchell]

Morkel sorry I can't find any critique it looks just perfect to me, that's a great incoming angle.

Keith.

[Alan Murphy]

Great processing on the contrasty light. Love the landing pose.

[Mike Veltri]

Nicely framed and executed.

[gail bisson]

This is excellent Morkel.
I would like a little more room at the bottom but otherwise a wonderful shot.
Tack sharp and I am digging the neck and head position very much,
Gail

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Mork, great show of the full wingspread, and love the extended feet. Well exposed and sharp, and nicely separated from the BG. Well captured mate.

[Gabriela Plesea]

Exceptional capture, Morkel! Great landing pose, those talons, the detail in the wings-stunning! My only crit (and that's nitpicking, really) is that spot behind the head-the whites are a tad hot, if I may say so. Love the way the subject stands out against the BG! I would so love to see Mara...

Warmest regards,

[Andre Pretorius]

Hi Morkel

F11 gave you enough DOF to get the complete bird in focus, nice to get it pin sharp with 1/1000!

This a classic incoming vulture shot, I can image the interaction with his mates after he landed.

Love HA, stunning image

[Enrique Patino]

great picture of a good looking bird. IQ is great even considering what appears as a bit harsh lighting. TFS

[Karl Egressy]

Great pose and composition, Morkel.

[Arthur Morris]

Ditto all the positives above. Is this full frame?

[Girish Prahalad]

superb capture! great landing pose, exp & details.

[shane shacaluga]

Great full wingspread with all the landing gear deployed ;)

Good techs to get the full bird in focus

TFS

[Morkel Erasmus]

Ditto all the positives above. Is this full frame?

Thanks everyone. Artie - this is about 90% of the original frame.

[Richard Flack]

Awesome image Morkel! Well done!

[mohammad reza shahab]

great landing pose, exp & details.very good comp.

[Grace Scalzo]

Superb! Love the position of the feet and head. Not often seen.