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Thread: Hanky Panky

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    Lifetime Member Doug Brown's Avatar
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    Default Hanky Panky

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    I visited a nearby marsh last week, and the Black-necked Stilts seemed to really be enjoying one another! It was a gorgeous morning and the water was perfectly calm. I shot quite a few frames of copulating Stilts, but this was one of only a handful where I got good eye contact from both the male and the female.

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    Lifetime Member Mike Poole's Avatar
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    Superb in eery way Doug, great timing with the raised wings, and as you say, the eye contact is there from them both. Lovely details and reflection

    Mike

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    Avian Moderator Randy Stout's Avatar
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    Doug:

    Great 'action' , like the expressions on both birds, good reflection.

    The whites on the breasts seem a bit warm, esp. the male.

    Wish the water was a bit cleaner around the birds. But, perhaps these are all just bubbles from their activities?

    Cheers

    Randy
    Last edited by Randy Stout; 05-05-2019 at 06:37 AM.
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    Lifetime Member Doug Brown's Avatar
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    Hey Randy. I learned something interesting about Stilt courtship when I observed it in calm water that morning. The male makes repeated tight circles around the female and creates all of those bubbles just prior to copulation, almost like he’s marking his territory. I saw this behavior 4 or 5 other times that morning with other birds too. I never noticed it before. I kept the bubbles because they’re part of the story.
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    BPN Member dankearl's Avatar
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    Good explanation Doug, I assumed the spots were just junk in the water and would
    have cleaned them up...
    Exposure looks good, I would think they are a nightmare in the sun..
    Excellent behavior shot.
    Dan Kearl

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    Lifetime Member Doug Brown's Avatar
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    Here's a photo of the bubble-making behavior. You can see the female in a mating position behind the male.
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    Avian Moderator Randy Stout's Avatar
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    Doug:

    Thanks for the explanation. I made the original comment about cleaning the water, but looked at it again and realized that they appeared to be all bubbles, and only around the birds, and figured there must be more to the story. So thanks for confirming that, and yes, you got to keep them!!

    Cheers

    Randy
    Last edited by Randy Stout; 05-06-2019 at 11:55 AM.
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    Looks spot on to me. Like the behavior and the reflection is lovely.

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    Hi Doug, I really like your second post and prefer it for the following reasons: I like the POV, the action, the blacks have detail, and the eye is lit by the light. Wish she turned her head our way a bit and would like to see more details in the whites under his neck, looks warm there... Also, the bubbles in your second post are well defined without any guess. Nice to see you posting here too.

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    Lifetime Member Doug Brown's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by annmpacheco View Post
    Hi Doug, I really like your second post and prefer it for the following reasons: I like the POV, the action, the blacks have detail, and the eye is lit by the light. Wish she turned her head our way a bit and would like to see more details in the whites under his neck, looks warm there... Also, the bubbles in your second post are well defined without any guess. Nice to see you posting here too.
    Thanks Ann! Good to be back! The second photo was taken this morning, whereas the original image was taken about a week ago. I haven't processed the second image yet, but I'm sure I will.
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    Excellent Image. I have been trying to photograph the same species with same behavior in UT. Birds were too fat and no luck so far getting good enough shot.

    Where was this taken ?

    TFS

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    The same behavior pre copulation ritual is observed in American Avocets as well...

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    Lifetime Member gail bisson's Avatar
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    I much prefer the second post.
    IQ is way better and the light is better- adding some nice iridescence to the wing.
    The first image doesn't seem to have your usual excellent IQ.
    Gail

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    Lifetime Member Doug Brown's Avatar
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    This shot was taken at a pond a little south of Albuquerque Krishna. The birds get pretty close, and they don't seem to mind my presence.
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    Super Moderator arash_hazeghi's Avatar
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    sweet shot Doug, I have seen this behavior before (making bubbles) quite common here too
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