Stilt on the war path

[Paul Burdett]

It's been nice to get outside in cooler weather here in Brisbane. Despite the global issues...(Coronavirus and the economy...new gear definitely on the back burner now) I managed to get this White-headed Stilt (aka Black-winged Stilt and Pied Stilt) charging towards me as it (and others in the group) wern't happy I was there. I didn't hang around for long as I didn't want to annoy them anymore. This is the first half decent "flying towards me" shot I've ever got.
7Dii, 100-400@400mm, 1/3200th sec, f5.6, iso500, manual mode HH.

Hope everyone stays safe in these crazy times! Cheers.

P.S. Just noticed a slight halo around the wings...maybe the result of sharpening.

[arash_hazeghi]

I like the calling pose but the focus is soft and the light angle didn't help here either.

TFS

[Paul Burdett]

Cheers Arash.

[Colin Driscoll]

Nice pose, I like the calling and that the feet can be seen. Hard to get a good shot like this.

[Paul Burdett]

Thanks Colin. I would have preferred a more straight on look, but most were not sharp enough. Cheers.

[Bill Dix]

Fun to see a different view of a Stilt. He doesn't look happy with you. Tough to get sharp focus when they're coming straight at you.

[John Mack]

Agree with the other comments. The pose and open bill are nice.

[Paul Burdett]

Thanks Bill & John. Yes...I must admit I was a little nervous as it flew towards me!

[Arthur Morris]

Fun to see a different view of a Stilt. He doesn't look happy with you. Tough to get sharp focus when they're coming straight at you.

I rather like the image. Not far off light angle. Yes to tough with Canon, better with Nikon, and child's play with the SONY a9 ii.

with love, artie

[arash_hazeghi]

I rather like the image. Not far off light angle. Yes to tough with Canon, better with Nikon, and child's play with the SONY a9 ii.

with love, artie

I'd say impossible to get with the 7D2 (that body is horse sh** for BIF) but child play with even Canon 1DXII, the BG is sky so if the shooter is skilled they should nail this...this is not challenging at all with the sky BG.... I was nailing this kind of stuff 10 years ago with my 1D4. If the BG was varied it would be a different story ....

[Paul Burdett]

Hi Artie & Arash.
Artie: Thank you for the feedback. The shots I have where the Stilt is more level and straight on are not tack sharp. I must admit I do get frustrated with my current gear, although perched birds are no problem. I'm still on the fence with Sony, and now with the economic situation it may be a while before I buy new gear. I must also admit that the A9/200-600 combo is a tough one to rule out though...especially for the price. I nearly purchased a used 1DX, but adding a Canon 600mm prime is still out of my price range. I'm interested to see what the Canon R5 brings to the table...but that might be a while now due to the issues with China.

Arah: Point taken.