On my trip to Maine last week, my wife returned from a swim in the local lake to report that a Common Loon was nesting nearby. Late the following afternoon I went to take a look and sure enough, right next to a public swimming beach, this loon was on her nest. The Park Service had cordoned off the area, and swimmers were being very respectful. I waded out to knee-deep to find an almost-clear view, and had to wait for the right moment when the breeze wasn't blowing the reeds across the bird. (I did remove several errant reeds.) In this frame she (I assume) sat with mouth agape, waiting for the return of her mate.
D500, Sigma 150-600 VR @ 230 mm, ISO 400, 1/800s @ f/8 manual, HH.
Thank you all. Thanks for checking, Randy. I don't recall applying any saturation, although I may have forgotten. The bird was nicely lit, fairly late in the afternoon. I think did apply some Tonal Contrast at about 25%; maybe that adds some saturation? I'll try backing off a tad. It was quite amazing to find the loons so accustomed to people. Not too far from the nest there were throngs of squealing, splashing kids on the beach. We were told by someone there that the loons had built, or started to build, a number of nests in the vicinity before deciding on this one. We wondered if there is some security from predators -- foxes or eagles ?? -- by putting the nest in such a public spot.
A really gorgeous shot. You've handled the lighting on the dark head so well - but it seems you've had a bit of practice on these! I like the colour in this too even though it might be a touch saturated as others have noted. I wonder if a slightly tighter crop would work on this shot?
Common Loons - Changing of the Guard #1 of 5
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