Ground Hornbills

[Dumay de Boulle]

Canon 1D MKIII
Canon 500 f4 L IS
AV f7.1
TV 1/800
Exp +0.33
ISO 400
AWB
RAW file processed in CS5 iMac

These guys were feeding on the maggots at a Giraffe carcass, My first opportunity to photograph these guys. They are endangered in South africa one of the reasons would be they only raise one chick every 7-9 years...Crits appreciated

[Stu Bowie]

Good DOF, and you have captured pin sharp detail, especially on the blacks. Its a bonus that these guys are so well out in the open, as they are normally foraging in grasslands. I also like your low angle of capture too. One of the better Ground Hornbill images on the site. A fine image mate.

[arash_hazeghi]

Awesome Dumay, love the light, pose details an interaction

[Tom Rambaut]

I like this - like the detail in the blacks and the throw back beak open pose of the left bird - Both birds sharp and the eyes of both birds are visable. Are these both males?

[Sidharth Kodikal]

Exceptional pose from both, lovely light, comp and low angle. Superb image quality, Dumay. Excellent image. TFS.

[Ofer Levy]

Lovely behaviour shot! Great sharpness, detail and exposure control!

[Ken Watkins]

Dumay,

What a wondrous image, a moment captured perfectly.

For those interested in the tremendous work being done at Mabula, this is a must

http://www.birdkeeper.co.za/birdkeep...-way-part6.asp

[Chris Martinez]

Is the bird on the left tossing a maggot down it's throat?

Excellent details in the blacks. I find challenging to get a nice balance with red & black birds, getting as much detail as possible without cooking the reds.
Nicely framed and having both birds in focus is a major plus!!

[Dudley Watson]

Excellent image of this pair with lovely detail VWD Dumay

[Dumay de Boulle]

Thanks for the comments!

Chris you are spot on!

[Chris Martinez]

Ha! Very cool

[PRABIR BHATTACHARYYA]

Lovely! Wonderful details!
I tried, but couldn't see this species in Zambia.

[Melissa Groo]

Dumay, what an incredible image. Feel like I'm right there with them. Great low angle, and wonderful behavior capture. Really stunning.
I can't believe they only raise a chick every 7-9 years! That's longer than elephants (about 4-5)!

[Sid Garige]

Killer details Dumay. Fantastic light and wonderful techs. Absolute winner.

[Jim Crosswell]

Great image Dumay! I like the details, sharpness, action and setting.

[gail bisson]

This is a lovely shot-and to get 2 birds, in the clear is terrific. There always seemed to be grasses in front of the ground hornbills I saw. I love that you caught the "throw the maggot in the air" moment. Blacks are exposed perfectly,
Gail