Kiting down!!!

[Fabs Forns]

I was lucky to capture this move on the of the days we were watching them. This is done at high speed and almost facing down.

Model: NIKON D300
Lens (mm): 500
ISO: 500
Aperture: 7.1
Shutter: 1/1250

[Connie Mier]

Fabs, nice angle and tack sharp. They are nesting now, correct? It's my understanding they nest here and head south for the winter.
Connie

[Fabs Forns]

Fabs, nice angle and tack sharp. They are nesting now, correct? It's my understanding they nest here and head south for the winter.
Connie

Thanks Connie, they should be all finish nesting and should be heading South next month, most of them together.
Juveniles go by themselves later.

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

Excellent wing position and I love the eye contact. Thanks for sharing Fabs. :)

[Simon Bennett]

I like the unusual perspective from above and the headturn.

[Mike Tracy]

I like the angle of "attack" and the sideways cocking of the head. The blacks look washed out and I wish for more detail in the whites.

[Fabs Forns]

I like the angle of "attack" and the sideways cocking of the head. The blacks look washed out and I wish for more detail in the whites.

Mike, what blacks?
There's no blacks in the Kites.

[Hugh J McLaughlin]

"LUCK" had nothing to do with it, other than finding the location of the nesting site!! Strictly SKILL all the way.

[Alfred Forns]

I like the angle of "attack" and the sideways cocking of the head. The blacks look washed out and I wish for more detail in the whites.

Hi Mike The bird's eye looks black and the rest just the way it should be, the over the shoulder feathers are dark brown (not black). As far as the whites they are just perfect in my monitor and that is on tough bird to expose !!!

In most kites I've seen posted lately the whites are close but this is as good as I have seen !!!!

[Harold Davis]

i know the highspeed divebomb you are talking about and the fact that you got it in the frame, muchless sharp is a giant feat!!! i didnt think there was any black in these birds. more of a slate grey than a true black.

big congrats on this one!!!!

[Ramon M. Casares]

This one is, IMO, the best I've seen from you of this species. Great pose, nice light, exposure, speices, comp and detail. Congratulations!

[jayparedes]

Very nice Fabiola. The exposure was handled very well.

[Michael Wolf]

Stunning capture. This is the best dive shot I have seen yet.
No nits ay all on this one. Only praise.

[Raymond Barlow]

another superb flight shot Fabs, great top side view!

[Haim Ziv]

Incredible and fascinating capture.

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

Hello Fabs.

Great looking fellow. I really like the pose you captured here. The blue sky tells me it was hot when you took the picture.

This guys are very handsome when in flight, well, always...!
My only wish would be to see the blacks a bit blacker. jc

[Ryan Lambert]

Nice angle of flight captured here and well exposed, congrats

[Juan Aragonés]

I love the pose on this one Fabs, really love it. I think that you have few details in the feathers and I am not sure if it is due to processing or to croping. The eye contact is just killer and "blacks" looks good to me.

Many of the birds that with think that are mostly black and white are, in reallity far from being black and white and this species is a good example. Human eye and human brain tend to simplify things and many of the birds that are not really black and white at 100% are described for us like B&W. I think that the limitations of film or a digital capture to properly render the complete range of tonalities and our own failure in getting a right exposure makes many of those species looks B&W when they are really not. I think that the STK is a very good example of that.

By the way, a 100% pure black color is very, very rare in nature. Black color in birds is produced by a pigment (melanine) that it is very dark when is fresh but that began to turn into brown with the time due to oxidation. It is the same pigment that controls the dark colour in the human hair.

[Nicki Gwynn Jones]

Hi Fabs!
Miraculous capture - I know how fast they move as they turn and dive....
Love the eye contact!
Best,
Nicki

[David Fletcher]

Cracking shot Fabs. Good as it gets. The head turn makes it special!

[Grace Scalzo]

Stunning in every way, Fabs. Were you handholding or on a tripod?

[Brian Barcelos]

Exposure looks spot on on my monitor. Great capture here of the action. My only wish with this one is that they would travel a little further north:D!

Brian

[Markus Jais]

Wonderful flight shot of this beautiful species. Great composition.

Markus

[Gyorgy Szimuly]

You avatar bird looks to be your favorite one.
Killer top side view on it. Could not be any better.

Szimi

[Morkel Erasmus]

you can feel the speed of this dive. love the upended wingtips. FABulous details and exposure Fabs!

[Gal Shon]

Wonderful pose, eye contact and exposure,
Apart from the sky / BG color I like this very much.