Ground Hornbill

[Chris Kotze]

Thought I'll share this Hornbill walking with this scraps to feed Junior his lunch

Canon 7D
Lens 300 2.8 + 1.2
ISO 400
f7.1
Flash Manual

[Chris Kotze]

And a bit closer one can see all the different pieces of of scraps.The African ground hornbill's food consists largely of small vertebrates and larger insects, although they sometimes use their pick-like bills to subdue prey as large as hares, tortoises, snakes and squirrels

[Morkel Erasmus]

wonderful behaviour and clarity Chris! I posted a GHB image as well right after yours :)

[Chris Kotze]

Thanks for the comment Morkel, we must have posted at the same time I have a look

[Nico Steenberg]

This is my favorite bird Chris !!

Great behavior captured. Great sharp detail and exposure against a killer bg. What women will do for eyelashes like that Well done getting this one :eek:

[Pieter de Waal]

Hi Chris, Nice capture I like the tilt in the HA, eye contact, flared shoulders and nice comp.Good exposure in the blacks and reds.
These guys certainly make a meal of it - are those bits of a Hare with the frog. ?

[Gary Hamilton]

beautifully lit and wonderful details in the prey--even for a vegetarian like me

[Daniel Cadieux]

I found myself studying the catch(es), and only after a while realized you also posted a close-up of it!! I'm pretty sure I see a hare's head in there, complete with a glimpse of the eye?? Gross but pretty cool...

Nice comp, and I like the "proud" look from this fella coming home after a successful hunt.

[Arthur Morris]

Sharp with perfect EXP and a nice head and bill angle.
How did the frog get mixed in with the meat???

[Peter Farrell]

Fantastic detail and I love the expression of the bird. That is quite a meal he has, more meat than a Taco Bell Taco!
Peter

[Ken Watkins]

Chris,

Looks a nice mixture

I find it strange that they often parade around with their catch for some time, we recently saw one with a snake in its mouth, clearly showing it to the rest of the family group.

[Stu Bowie]

Great IQ here Chris, and I like the head on capture here. Blacks well exposed, and just love the BG. Great detail on the meal too.

[Kiran Poonacha]

Thats one juicy lunch chris ...

great light, details and BG...

[arash_hazeghi]

a great behavioral shot

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Terrific. Loved the details and exposure. Perfect reds and blacks.

[Chris Kotze]

Thanks for all the kind commens

How did the frog get mixed in with the meat???

Artie beats me. However I think that maybe as she carries the scraps back to it's nest they catch more snacks as they move on ??

[Vivaldo Damilano]

Fantastic Chris, all been said, a lovely image. Great light, also like the close-up of the catch TFS

[Chris Martinez]

What a mouthful!! Junior sure is getting a varied diet

Nice job balancing the reds and the blacks. Exposure is sweet! I like the composition but would also love to see the whole bird.

[Chris Labuschagne]

Gruesome but very well photographed: