Black Kite?
Hello All
This is my first extended attempt at BIF with my 500. I spent an afternoon a few weeks ago in an elevated beer garden in a town called Broome on North western Australia while on holiday with my wife. A moderate breeze was blowing and these birds were ridge soaring backwards and forwards over a large clump of Mangroves growing around the edge of an estuary below called Roebuck bay. I think the birds are called Black Kites but please correct me if someone knows. Mostly they were flying above me and in the bright mid day sun I could only get poor images showing little underwing detail in a high contrast situation but I persevered anyway as it was good panning practice. Occasionally however some would dive below my level, I imagine to investigate a potential lunch in the mangroves and I was able to get a largely better exposed shot. So what do you think? For the record the occasional beer helped as it held me at the site (~4 hours) and kept me from getting too frustrated when the birds mostly were flying well above me, but generally I don't take my 500 to the bar. (Everwhere else according to my wife, but not usually the bar...)
The presented has had canvas added and the upper wing tips reconstructed as they were outside the frame at exposure. I have also overlayed a slight gradient in the background simply to add a little more detail. Its almost full frame..
1D4, 500F4 + 1.4TC, hand held.
Speed 1/1250 @ F9
ISO 400
No flash
AV at 0 bias.
Eval metering
3 x pints of the best local brew...
TFL...
DON
and with the camera as well...
Really nice exposure, color, and detail. Good job on the reconstruction. My only thought is that it feels tight in the frame to me. I would suggest adding space on the top, bottom, and left. Excellent job, look forward to more 500mm pints! 
