American Coot

Gallery: AvianPosted December 21, 2009143 views17 comments

Fulica americana

I thought I would post another image that goes along with my recent themed series about head angles.

I have been having a great time photographing coots recently because they are challenging to get the blacks and whites exposed properly and I love a challenge. Also they are great fun to watch and photograph because they exhibit such fiesty character at times.

It is my belief that the head angle here although not considered perfect is what makes this image work for me. As I recall the bird's head is at this angle because of a flock of Canada Geese flying overhead and the Coot stopped eating long enough for me to get several shots fired off as it looked upwards.

D200, Gitzo tripod as low as it could go on the pond shoreline, then the front leg front leg extended and lowered some more, Black Widow head. F9, 1/320, ISO 320, 200-400mm VR F4 with 1.4x TC at 330mm, natural light, 58% of original image. Cropped from a horizontal to vertical presentation for composition.

As always, I sincerely appreciate your comments & critiques, thank you for looking.

Comments

17 comments

Comment posted by Michael Ramos on December 21, 2009 at 11:32 AM

Beautifull Image Lia,but I got a question did you make any compensaton at all and i notice a stripe on the coot beak are they in breeding season my question is here in PR. i notice only the white beak w/o the stripe.

Registered on December 24, 2008, 43 Posts, 281 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on December 21, 2009 at 11:39 AM

Michael,

Thanks for the comment.

In answer to your first question I used no EV compensation on this image.

To answer your second question, you most likely have the Caribbean Coot, Fulica caribaea which has the swollen white frontal shield, that species does not have reddish brown frontal shield shown here and is unrecorded here in the US mainland. The coots here are not in breeding season but they may be in PR.

I wish when I visited PR that I had been able to photograph the species you have there, but it wasn't a birding trip

Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments

Comment posted by KC Choo on December 21, 2009 at 11:44 AM

I've enjoyed your theme very much and this image illustrates that very well. I have many such images and have kept them as they do show character. This is very nicely done!

Registered on November 15, 2004, 519 Posts, 8278 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on December 21, 2009 at 12:22 PM

Mia,

I just read a fantastic article about the coot and it's ability to ID chicks that aren't their own in their nest... what a great bird.

I think the head angle is wonderful and the piece of grass is an added touch. The reflection is quite nice as well. I think it could benefit from cropping off some of the space at the top.

- Luke

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on December 21, 2009 at 2:22 PM

Mia, I like the head position in this image a lot. To me it makes me think this bird is pondering something, like maybe how good the veg tastes. Yes I know that is too anthropomophic and I am a bird scientist and should not do such things, but hey, I allow myself to drift every once in a while. Your exposure and DOF are perfect IMO. I like the comp as posted. Very well done on this coot, a species that is unfairly looked past by many in the birding and photography realm.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Monica Siri on December 21, 2009 at 3:15 PM

Hi Mia,
excellent image! The facial expression is really interesting. I love the head angle, the water and the reflection.
Brilliantly done!

Registered on September 20, 2009, 132 Posts, 3764 Comments

Comment posted by Graham Brown on December 21, 2009 at 6:04 PM

Not easy to get good detail in the black of the coot but you've captured this extremely well. The whites to look very well exposed and i like the sky reflection in the water. I agree that the head turn sets this apart from the norm. Graham

Registered on November 20, 2007, 275 Posts, 1365 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on December 21, 2009 at 8:36 PM

Beautiful. I love the head turn--to further anthropomorphize, the bird seems to be smiling. Love the grass in the bill. Great exposure and detail in the blacks and whites. Nice circular ripples too. I like everything about this.

Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on December 21, 2009 at 9:34 PM

This is a fun and charming image and it is precisely because of the inclined head. As I say on my blog today: don't get caught up in inflexible rules and instead make real time decisions about what works best in the situation at hand.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments

Comment posted by Michael Twaddell on December 21, 2009 at 11:12 PM

I have not been privey to the head position posts, but I do like this birds head position, as it gives the bird a bunch of personality! I really enjoy Coots, as they seem to be very animated with thier actions! Nice one, Mia.

Registered on August 16, 2007, 199 Posts, 2132 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on December 21, 2009 at 11:13 PM

Spot on Mia , the head tells a whole new story and it becomes a lot more than a shot of a coot.

cheers
Rob

Registered on November 8, 2003, 617 Posts, 8267 Comments

Comment posted by Charlie VanTassel on December 22, 2009 at 11:00 AM

A Coot is a tough bird to deal with IMO. Most photos are pretty ho hum. The head tilt and the grass give this one a little character. Very nice, Mia.

Registered on October 18, 2006, 644 Posts, 4801 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on December 22, 2009 at 1:51 PM

Nice, Mia. really like the techs here, and also the head turn. I'd consider more space on the left to offset the comp a bit.

Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on December 22, 2009 at 2:45 PM

My thanks for the comments & critiques thus far on this image.

Luke, since the bird is looking up I wanted to allow space for the coot to look into and if I crop from the top then the coot would appear centered top to bottom of the frame, I didn't want that, but I thank you for your suggestion. BTW, I read that article you mentioned and found it fascinating.

Ron, even as a bird scientist I am glad you allow yourself to drift occasionally, it means I am in good company

Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments

Comment posted by Doug Gilham on December 22, 2009 at 5:28 PM

Great image Mia, and I think the angle of the head is great, with the eye it makes me wonder what's going on up above it. I found out about how hard coots are to expose correctly earlier this year. Great capture of the markings on the bill as well.

Registered on September 20, 2009, 77 Posts, 489 Comments

Comment posted by Roger Hayden on December 22, 2009 at 6:25 PM

Mia,
This a great shot with great detail. You're correct: It is difficult to get detail in the black feathers as well as in the white beak, but you succeeded. The eye is perfect as well. Very well done.

Registered on November 21, 2009, 41 Posts, 201 Comments

Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on December 23, 2009 at 11:05 AM

I think the head tilt makes it as well. It give it personality.

Registered on June 30, 2009, 300 Posts, 5051 Comments