Have Snail, Will Travel...

[David Roach]

Once papa completed the apple snail extraction, he headed for the nest. Created the other morning at Loxahatchee. And yes, I know I just missed on that wingtip :o. I wish I had more lens for this morning but at one point this beauty actually landed on my side of the mote/canal just above eye level. I started further out but this beauty allowed me all the way in until I had a full frame filled with every detail. And guess what, that is the exact frame when my shutter failed :(. After taking a few frames close in, I looked to check histogram and saw a bright strip right down the middle of the frame in every close in image. BTW, I find PP very difficult on these beauties and wish I had better skills.
1DMKIIN 400DO 1.4xtc ISO 500 F8@1/1250

[Arthur Morris]

Great story and great timing on the take-off. Repairing the wing tips on this one is easy.... The bird could also use some Eye Doctor work. Best advice if you would like to improve your processing skills: get yourself a copy of our Digital Basics File. It was written just for you. Love the wing position and the pose.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

I like the take-off pose, wing position, eye contact and the snail adds to it. It looks a bit soft on my monitor.