GREATER SAGE GROUSE

[gary ellwein]

Nikon D3s, Nikkor 600mm, f8, 1/800, iso 800. The image was taken from a blind on a lek in SE Idaho.

[arash_hazeghi]

excellent light and pose with great details. BG can use some NR.

TFS

[Ian Wilson]

I agree with Arash - very nice capture, well done!

[David Salem]

Fantastic portrait capture of this Boomer, the name given to a male Sage Grouse. The exposure and the feather detail look perfect and I love the big brown eye with the yellow brow.
The feathers around the chest are very unique and unusual and are like hard scales. They help to protect them when they are strutting and fighting for their position on the lek.
I have been making a trip to Wyoming to hunt these Grouse with my Falcons for almost 25 years straight.
They are an awesome bird and they live in a very remote area of the sage desert .
They are one of the very few animals that are actually in their peak condition when the season and weather is at it's harshest. They are one of the most challenging species for us to capture with our falcons. TFS

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Gary, tight works, nice to see the difference compared to our Grouse. It has a 'vulture' appearance around the neck & chest plumage, nice to see.

TFS
Steve

[Marina Scarr]

Very cool portrait with lots of details. Light was great and the flying feathers are a nice touch. BG noise already mentioned and easily remedied.

[Lorant Voros]

After the mentioned fix on the BG it is a stunning portrait with the light and IQ. Very pleasing image.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Very cool plumage, you got some nice details in it to highlight it beautifully. Perhaps a bit of hot areas in the whites to our right. that should be easy to tone down. Although the comp is good as is I think you can actually go tighter left and top (but not too much!!)

[gary ellwein]

Thanks to all for the C & C. The redo addresses the bg noise and the bright highlights on the breast. I also took a bit off of the left and top, as suggested by Daniel.

[Binu John]

Very nice portrait shot! Beautiful light and excellent details! The re-post is perfect!