Feeding Vultures

[Ben Page]

Hello all,

Would appreciate your feedback on this image of Griffon Vultures feeding on a goat carcass. I made it a couple of weeks ago in Bulgaria during a very memorable and enjoyable 9 days there.

EXIF: 1D mark3, Canon 300mm+1.4 extender, 1/640 @ f/5.6, ISO 400, 420mm, tripod.

[Doug Brown]

I really like the framing with the extended wings. It looks like a feeding frenzy. I would have liked to have seen the one vulture's head in focus, but that's my only issue. Well done!

[Jonathan Michael Ashton]

Ben, nice and detailed but I can't see the detail in terms of a few heads and guts etc, sounds a bit gory but do you get my drift? I suspect you will have other shots with a few birds' heads?

Jon

[Brutus Ostling]

Even without heads, it's an amazing photo/happening. This photo make impact.

But OK, I would have liked one or two heads sticking out, on the other hand this shows their hunger for the carcass...

[Ben Page]

Thanks guys, appreciate your comments. I made 7 images in this sequence, had to keep on single shot so as not to disturb them. Here's the one before hand (it's a quick convert). It's either wings up or heads sharp!

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Ben, I like the first one best (and there is one head in that one....) The raised wings of the bird on the left makes the image. I would like to have seen a bit more room on the bottom.

I do not understand your comment about single shot..... Please explain.

[Ben Page]

Thanks Art!

Sorry I wasn't clear, I meant I had to have the drive mode in single shot instead of high speed continuous shooting.

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Ben, Thanks for responding. Why would you think that high speed continuous would scare the birds in this situation? My experience in general is that the birds occasionally jump from the very first shutter release and after that they could care less. And vultures on a carcass are pretty intent on stuffing themselves.

Don't get me wrong, it is very, very rare that I hold the hammer down, preferring instead to make the images one at a time in an effort to capture the moment (as you did in the original post above).

[Ben Page]

Hi Art, we were told by the guides to initially use single shot until they had got into feeding and the birds were very nervous until they all piled into the carcass (they had to fight off a local dog to get their feed). These images were right at the start of the feed, didn't take them long to devour that carcass. After waiting for hours in a very cold hide in freezing fog for these guys to turn up and the light to improve, I really didn't want to take any chances! I did switch to continuous a little later on (not on this setup, had moved to a different window in the hide), but still tended to make single images rather than keeping the hammer down.

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks for the explanation. Please confirm that this was a baiting situation. (I am fine with that BTW.)

[Daniel Cadieux]

I absolutely love the first one. The feeding frenzy is intense, and the one head poking up at left is a great element on that image. I also like the OOF trees in the BG. Only wish for more room below as per Artie.

[Ben Page]

Thanks for the explanation. Please confirm that this was a baiting situation. (I am fine with that BTW.)

Hi Art, yes, it was a baiting situation. There is a local conservation group that is trying to increase the vulture population through educating the people not to poison them and removing dead domestic animals for free, placing them near this permanent stone built hide on a regular basis.

I didn't think much of vultures before the trip, now I love 'em! Invaluable links in the food chain cleaning up what would otherwise spread disease. But I'm sure you know all about that! :)

[Ben Page]

I absolutely love the first one. The feeding frenzy is intense, and the one head poking up at left is a great element on that image. I also like the OOF trees in the BG. Only wish for more room below as per Artie.

Thanks Daniel. The trees were lovely, still had their leaves with loads of autumn colour, if only the fog had completely cleared by then!

Agree about the need for more room, I'll just need to go back and try again! :)

[Juan Aragonés]

Fantastic image (I love the first post) showing how this guys feed on the carrion. Well done

[Ben Page]

Thanks Juan!