Saddle-Billed Stork and Blacksmith's Plover 3

[Ken Watkins]

Taken in Kwara Concession, Okavanga Delta, Botswana, 28th June 2009

EOS 1D MkIII

500mm F4 IS hand-held

F6.3, 1/1600, ISO 400, EV-1/3rd

[Doug Brown]

I like the action captured. You were fortunate to get both birds in focus. The light was a little harsh. I would blur the BG a little more.

[Jim Neiger]

Ditto what Doug said. I like the head angle of the Stork which shows off the colors in the bill and the eye very well.

[denise ippolito]

Nice image Ken. I agree w/ blurring the BG a bit. I love the way the bill looks and it shows well in this image. I never saw one of these before TFS.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Ken,
Really close on this one...but do agree with Doug. The near misses are the ones that motivate me more!

[Morkel Erasmus]

was the plover chasing the stork? those guys are vicious! ;)
ditto great getting both sharp, and agree on blurring BG a bit more.

[Phil Ertel]

I like the pose of the stork. Being able to see the head/eye clearly and the underside of the bird is nice. The inclusion of the plover is a plus. Another vote for blurring the background a bit. Thanks for sharing.

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

ALl points covered mate. Love the action, and you handled it well. COngrats! :)

[Harshad Barve]

all good points well covered here, I am loving that 2nd bird:), adds so much
TFS

[Ken Watkins]

Thanks for the comments, as to both birds being in focus I can only presume they were both flying in the same plane or just luck, my AF point was on the chest of the Stork. Yes the Plover was chasing the Stork, but then they constantly harass almost everything that wanders in to their territory.

I must admit I thought that the BG was fairly blurred to start with but I will have a look and see what happens.