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Sharp-tailed Grouse
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Sharp-tailed Grouse

by Nick Saunders

Gallery: AvianPosted April 20, 2010342 views25 comments
This morning, May Haga and I had a great time watching the Sharp-tailed Grouse dancing, displaying and fighting for dominance at a community pasture not too far from town.
We got up at the crack of dawn , laying on our fronts amongst cow pats for this amazing spectacle and probably lay there for a good 2 and a half hours.
At one point we had them only metres away from us, but the action I wanted was taking place further away , so I was concentrating on the one's jumping further back.
I cloned out some horizontal lines that went behind the birds that were in fact barbed wire fencing, and cleaned up some of the foreground.


40d
100-400@400
1/900
F5.6
ISO 500



Comments

25 comments
Comment posted by Dan Walters on April 20, 2010 at 11:11 PM
Love the action and the light. Nice low angle as well.
Registered on October 30, 2005, 405 Posts, 3693 Comments
Comment posted by Charlie VanTassel on April 20, 2010 at 11:18 PM
A fantastic view of both birds in the heat of battle. :toast:
Registered on October 18, 2006, 644 Posts, 4801 Comments
Comment posted by Nancy Elwood on April 20, 2010 at 11:25 PM
Nick what incredible behavior you caught!! Looks like you had wonderful light and on top of that a great BG. Big congrats!! :toast:
Registered on January 15, 2010, 101 Posts, 396 Comments
Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on April 20, 2010 at 11:36 PM
Very cool action i this behavior shot Nick! This must have been very cool to watch.
Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments
Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on April 20, 2010 at 11:36 PM
Just excellent, Nick. Great capture, lovely light, nifty background and terrific sense of movement. Simply brilliant.
Registered on August 28, 2006, 1240 Posts, 8506 Comments
Comment posted by Dennis Plank on April 21, 2010 at 12:42 AM
Fantastic shot, Nick. Incredible action and light and you even managed a catchlight from both of them. Great work. I hope to see May post her interpretation soon. :toast: :toast:
Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments
Comment posted by Mauro Pasquero on April 21, 2010 at 2:46 AM
Terrific shot, Nick :toast: Great sense of action! I like it very much.
Mauro
Registered on January 21, 2010, 650 Posts, 2500 Comments
Comment posted by Simon Bennett on April 21, 2010 at 3:03 AM
Super action Nick, and both faces sharp too.
Registered on February 4, 2007, 350 Posts, 4614 Comments
Comment posted by Ken Archer on April 21, 2010 at 4:26 AM
Awesome action Nick in great light too :toast: The catch light in both birds puts it over the edge for me.

Ken Archer
Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments
Comment posted by Bill Maile on April 21, 2010 at 6:03 AM
VERY cool Nick, well worth your effort (easy for me to say)!!
Registered on March 2, 2009, 984 Posts, 2518 Comments
Comment posted by Rob Drummond on April 21, 2010 at 7:07 AM
Fantastic Nick - catchlight in both eyes and great action and movement

cheers
Rob
Registered on November 8, 2003, 617 Posts, 8267 Comments
Comment posted by Mark Jenkins on April 21, 2010 at 7:09 AM
Great action shot.
Registered on April 20, 2008, 307 Posts, 604 Comments
Comment posted by Jagdeep Rajput on April 21, 2010 at 8:09 AM
A brilliant, action-packed capture in gorgeous light !!!
Jagdeep Rajput :toast:
Registered on April 29, 2008, 686 Posts, 2857 Comments
Comment posted by Luke Ormand on April 21, 2010 at 9:06 AM
Awesome action with warm lighting. I think the composition works wonderfully here

- Luke
Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments
Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on April 21, 2010 at 9:16 AM
wow--great light on both birds' faces, and a superb bg. love the action, with both birds in mid-air, wings blurred and bodies sharp. this is simply outstanding. :toast:
Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments
Comment posted by Glenn Bartley on April 21, 2010 at 9:49 AM
Great actiona nd light. Love it! :toast:
Registered on June 29, 2004, 448 Posts, 1180 Comments
Comment posted by Jim Hackley on April 21, 2010 at 11:24 AM
Great job on getting this, well worth the effort from my point of view. The larger version was a real treat to see this behavior, way to go. :toast:
Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments
Comment posted by Nate Chappell on April 21, 2010 at 12:07 PM
Wow that's some super action and great to get both of their faces in view, congrats Nick :toast:
Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments
Comment posted by Ian Mason on April 21, 2010 at 4:50 PM
This has everything! Great action, but also great detail, both in focus and lovely background - just superb!
Registered on December 14, 2005, 399 Posts, 2305 Comments
Comment posted by KC Choo on April 21, 2010 at 5:21 PM
A superb image of something I haven't yet seen! Thanks for this!
Registered on November 15, 2004, 519 Posts, 8278 Comments
Comment posted by denise ippolito on April 21, 2010 at 8:22 PM
Great action captured and nice head angles on both. The feet are awesome.
Registered on December 17, 2009, 202 Posts, 1529 Comments
Comment posted by Hans Spiecker on April 21, 2010 at 9:50 PM
Action - action - action! Wonderful. I want to see something like this someday. Great shot Nick
Registered on March 23, 2006, 366 Posts, 4649 Comments
Comment posted by Rohn B. McKee on April 22, 2010 at 10:50 AM
Nick,
This is a great photo. Thanks for sharing. The things we do to get great photos, laying amongst the cow pats.
Registered on November 18, 2008, 109 Posts, 415 Comments
Comment posted by Peter Conway on April 22, 2010 at 1:45 PM
Hot damn Nick. Love it!!!!!!!!!

Peter
Registered on June 25, 2007, 347 Posts, 3913 Comments
Comment posted by Monica Siri on April 22, 2010 at 3:25 PM
Wonderful action shot, Nick! :toast:
Registered on September 20, 2009, 132 Posts, 3764 Comments