Pied-billed Grebe

[Bill Dix]

Just as Kaustubh said in his PBGR post recently, these little guys have always given me trouble. They are small, and never want to get close; just when they begin to, they dive and pop up out of range. Several weeks ago, with most of the lakes frozen, all the waterfowl were forced into small patches of open water, bringing him within reach. (In fact I had to wait for the Mallards, Shovelers and Coots to get out of the way to give me a clean shot.) Wish I had been able to get K's ultra-low shooting angle, but I was pleased to get a Grebe with some detail for once.

D90 | 500f4 + 1.4X | ISO 640 | 1/1250s @ f/7.1 | +0.3 EV | monopod

[Ian Cassell]

Very nice, Bill. Yes, these guys have been my nemesis (especially with my 400mm). They always are right out of reach. When I creep up on them after they dive, they surface further away rather than closer!

I love the color on the water in this image. HA and exposure are very good on this little one.

[Jim Crosswell]

Beautiful image Bill! I like the water texture in the BG, sharpness and HA.

[Ofer Levy]

Lovely image! Excellent sharpness and detail. I think it needs some CCW rotation.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Nice! Beautiful water. Techs look good, and I like to see the non-breeding plumage in this species (which is not often for me). Image does indeed need CCW rotation - notice how it is seemingly swimming downwards.

[Bill Dix]

Thank you all. Yes, I noticed after I posted it that he seemed to be swimming downhill. An easy fix. (Next time maybe I'll notice before I post.)

[denise ippolito]

Picture perfect Bill! I like the pose, water, sharp details and exposure. I agree w/ the rotation.

[Bill Dix]

Picture perfect Bill! I like the pose, water, sharp details and exposure. I agree w/ the rotation.

Thanks Denise.

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Bill, amazing details and water texture. Very good subject placement too. Love their chicken bill.