Pied-billed Grebe

Gallery: AvianPosted September 22, 201094 views7 comments

Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)

Place: Gilbert Water Ranch, AZ
Date: February 2, 2008
Equipment: Nikon D70, Nikkor AF-S 300/2.8 & TC20E (2x), G1325, RRS BH-55, Sidekick
Exposure: ISO 400, Aperture priority matrix metered, 1/320th @ f/14
Raw, PSCS3 on Mac G4, moderate crop

Another from the backlog whle I await summer to finally depart for a few months here in Phoenix. I always enjoy watching these small birds that usually are too shy for close work. Ideally I should crop a bit tighter, but since this was taken with the D70 there's not a lot of pixels to work with.

Honest critiques requested; all comments appreciated. If possible please view the large version before commenting.

Comments

7 comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on September 22, 2010 at 1:24 AM

Don't mind the space around the bird at all Richard. You've retianed plenty of detail in the larger version

cheers
Rob

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

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on September 22, 2010 at 6:47 AM

I agree, the comp is fine here. Bird is plenty big IMO. I like the broken reflection and the nice natural looking water. No plastic look here.

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

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on September 22, 2010 at 9:13 AM

I love these little grebes - simple and effective, this photo is a classic image of a pied-billed.

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

Comment posted by Sally King on September 22, 2010 at 2:41 PM

I really like how clean and crisp the image is especially those little water droplets on the bird's back.

Registered on December 2, 2008, 416 Posts, 4450 Comments

Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on September 22, 2010 at 8:26 PM

A nice, clean, solid photo! I enjoy these guys, too! Sharon

Registered on November 1, 2003, 392 Posts, 4810 Comments

Comment posted by KC Choo on September 22, 2010 at 9:11 PM

Pretty good, Richard!

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

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on September 23, 2010 at 8:33 PM

Rich,

I love watching Pied-billed Grebes too, they are fiesty, animated and always a joy to see. I don't think they get enough "press" compared to other grebe spcies, but they deserve much more.

The water color here makes me want to slip into the water and cool down knowing the high temps you have there, and it is a delightful blue. Wonderful pose, view of the eye and the bill. Fine exposure, details and sharpness.

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