These guys have strong legs set back far on the body, which gives them extra strength in propelling them underneath the water during dives. It also makes them fast swimmers above water, as evidenced by the bow wake seen here.
Canon 7DII + 500mm f/4 II + 1.4TC III, manual exposure, evaluative metering, 1/1250s., f/6.3 (I must have accidentally bumped the aperture down by one click), ISO 800, natural light, handheld, small crop for comp, a few bits of debris removed from the water.
Nicely captured. He has a very determined expression as he plows along. Usually when I think I'm about to get close to one, he dives and resurfaces on the other side of the lake.
Nice setting here Daniel. I finally got a photo of one of these guys this spring but I forgot to post it! They are so small when seen up close. I like the water color, and the feeling of movement from the water being pushed in front of the bird. Nice and sharp as well. Just wish the birds head was angled a touch more away from us so we had a little more of a profile.
Yes, they are real aquatic rockets if anything like our grebe species here. This shot shows the speed well with that sizeable bow wave emphasised by the low POV. Depth of field and aperture work here in spite of the 'accident'. Great background and foreground providing good separation for the bird. Still conditions and reflection add.
Pied-billed Grebe Motoring Along.
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