Horned Screamer Flight

Those spurs look like they could do some damage. It's amazing the diversity of bird species that are down there. This is a great shot of a bird I didn't know existed.

You have great details on the feathers and they show up well against the forest backdrop, Nate. I like that the wingspread shows both sides. The water droplets add a dynamic character to the image. The whites are perfectly exposed, but would like to see some more details on the blacks under the wing. I like your choice of comp including the habitat, but I think this will also work with a tighter crop.

Thanks for sharing this. I always enjoy seeing newer birds.

Very nice flight shot. The wing spurs are an interesting feature I don't recall seeing on any other bird. Both versions seem to have a flatness about them. I can't tell whether haze or a mild cast. Did you try hitting it with Autocolor just to check that?

Great shot, Nate. Must have been taken at some distance & seems to be bright sunlight and haze. I've never heard of this bird - good to see & now I'll read about it.

Very nice capture Nate, of a bird I'd never heard of before. Those spurs are quite a feature as is the horn. The BG does appear to be hazy, but the bird really stands out. I enjoy seeing species from other countries, thanks for posting.

A unique flight shot Nate. I like the comp and the flight position. Great BG for this shot and I like the grass along the bottom for perspective. Those spurs sure are formidable. In the larger image the lighting looks a bit flat. Others have mentioned the possible presence of haze. Looks kind of like that to me too.

Nice to see this in flight. Technicals look good.

what an interesting bird! nice pose and exposure here - there seems to be a green cast throughout? (although I wouldn't know what the bird actually looks like! )

Thanks for your comments. Here it is with some color adjustments, I do like it better although the first post seems true to the raw file.

An amazing bird Nate and in flight too! The bird looks great and I like the grass at bottom as an anchor. I have no issues with your original and prefer it to the repost.

That eye is tack sharp. I like the wings up pose here. Strange bird. Is that also a spur on its head? Hard to tell which white balance is correct. Did you take a grey sample in raw? I'm also leaning toward the original, a bit flat or not.

Nice flight shot, Nate. Definitely a unique bird. The flatness has been mentioned, but It comes across very nicely. A quick search turned up an interesting paper in the SORA database on wing spurs. It mentions observations of Screamers using them in defense of their nests. http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Wilson/v066n02/p0127-p0134.pdf

Thanks for your comments Ron, Wayne and Dennis.

Wayne, it's not a spur on the head but some elaborate rather hard feathers.

Dennis, thanks for the info on the screamer's behavior.

Beautiful image, Nate. And a bird I have never even heard of, much less seen.

Very cool looking bird Nate, especially in flight. Both images are excellent, but I favor the original.

Wow, that's got to be some good timing to catch him in flight, water dripping from the tailfeathers still. I like the way you included some of the reeds at the bottom. What a unique bird! Amazing.

Both versions look wonderful to my eye Nate, and I still think this is one of the most unusual birds I've ever seen :^)

Killer flight photo of this super cool bird Nate

Ken Archer

Spectacular image, incredible bird.

Fantastic Nate - it looks like a seriously large bird. How does it compare to the larger bustards? Love the depth and perspective added by the background

cheers
Rob

What a great bird and photo! From the looks of this, I'd rather photograph one than handle it. I like the vegetation too, a little habitat added.

Wow that is prettyamazing Nate. The spurs are cool thanks for pointing them out. Great flight capture . The hazy look is familiar to me from a few shots I took in morning light. It seems to come from the particular angle from the sun like shooting with it a bit to the right of me and not directly behind me?

good looking flight shot of a rather formidable looking bird, Nate.

Thanks for your comments everyone!

Rob, this bird is a big bird but smaller than the larger bustards like your Australian Bustard. However, it's about 3 feet long or almost 1 meter and it's flight is rather ponderous from the weight.

As far as the lighting it was taken in morning, hazy light about 9am. I can't remember the sun angle.

Very nice capture, the greens in the bg help in bring out the bird nicely, the horn can put a Rhino to shame. Great timing this.

Looks like the fighter jet of the bird world. Excellent job in getting this Nate, comp, wing spread and detail are all there, way to go.