Snail Kite Nest Building

[Doug Brown]

I photographed this handsome male bringing some nest material home to momma on Jim Neiger's boat in January. I think there's a piece of snail on his beak.



Canon 50D, 500mm, f/6.3, 1/2500, ISO 640, +2/3 EC, no flash, hand held

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Great pose, eye contact and the stick adds to it. Too bad about the sun angle and I might sharpen the plumage a bit more.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Doug,
Love the action and pose and I see detail in the shadow areas....so it's fine for me.....but I do have to ask you AWF guys......what's the deal with shadows??? I actually look for them in landscapes....as they add depth and character to the image. Since I have been photographing birds for a few years now.....I do know all about the "best"/ideal light angle.....is it more....the perfect light angle would make this perfect/better.....or is this delete because the sun angle kills it????....I don't know.....sitting here...this one is a keeper in my book....shadow and all.

[Doug Brown]

I wouldn't have processed and posted this if I didn't think it was a keeper Roman. It's nice to get images that don't have strong shadow lines, but I don't feel like the small line under the wing is too bothersome. Another thing to keep in mind: when you fly a couple of thousand miles and get two days on a boat, you take what you can get! :)

[Grady Weed]

when you fly a couple of thousand miles and get two days on a boat, you take what you can get! :)

I totally agree with you Doug.

[James Shadle]

This is a beautiful specimen with an outstanding behavior capture.
How much of a crop if any is this? I ask because I normally see more fine details in your images.

It doesn't matter how far you fly, small details still separate extremely good images from great ones:).
But I do understand where you are coming from (a couple of thousand miles).

James

[Doug Brown]

I just checked the RAW file and the bird fills 2/3 of the frame. I actually added a little canvas up front to give the image more balance. Also, it looks pretty sharp on my monitor. Perhaps it's from a little NR.

[James Shadle]

Thanks for the info!
James

[Philip Pietri]

This is a pretty sweet image. Despite being a Florida resident (and native), I have yet to photograph or even see one of these guys. I'm fine with the direction / angle / quality of the light as there are visible details underneath the wing. The behavioral aspect makes it even more memorable. My only nit is that the catch light looks weird - almost like a vertical line in his eye. It's probably completely natural so no biggy.

[Dan Brown]

Very, very nice behavior shot in sweet lighting Doug! I wonder if this bird that I have posted here is the same individual. I too shot this with Jim Neiger in Jan. This bird was struggling to pull a branch from this tree.

[David Hemmings]

Hey Doug, I think that too much is made out of perfect and not perfect light angles. This is a great shot and the shadows to not make it any less of a good image with strong a pose and interest with the nesting material.