Double-crested Cormorant

[Joseph Przybyla]

Alway, no matter how well one positions oneself, it is unpredictable which direction a bird will take flight. Even when they should be taking off into the wind sometimes they do not. This image worked well from where I was standing. The bird was fishing and came to the surface, quickly taking flight. After fishing the bird is heavy with water logged feathers. It struggles to get in the air, paddle feet pushing against the water and wings flapping the air. Image captured at Circle B Bar Reserve in Polk County, Florida. Comments and critique welcomed and appreciated. Thank you for viewing.

Nikon D500
Nikon 80-400mm F/4.5-5.6 VRII AF-S ED, image captured at 400mm
1/2000 F/8 Matrix Metering EV 0 ISO 800 Auto 1 WB HH
Post processed in Lightroom Classic, Photoshop CC 2020 and Neat Image for noise reduction
Cropped for composition and presentation

[Colin Driscoll]

Cormorants are difficult to get a good shot of. Nice light on the head and body, and the splashes are good. Overall pose doesn't really grab me that much.