a fireball in the jungle

Gallery: AvianPosted April 8, 2013155 views2 comments

I had an amazing opportunity to watch these guys (cock of the rock, Rupicola rupicola) in a lek in French Guiana a couple of times. Usually, its really hard to get a clear view on them as they hang out low in a dense understory. Of course, it doesn't help to have only 200mm at hand... Anyhow, after rolling around on the ground for a good hour trying find a gap between saplings and lianas I managed this shot, which I'm quite happy about. The birds is not very close but it gives you a good impression of the environment you will find them in. It's like a fireball appearing in a dense tropical vegetation!

Canon EOS 40D + Sigma EX 70-200@200mm f3.5 1/80s ISO800, hand/branch/knee held

Check out the large view. Looking forward to your comments!

Comments

2 comments

Comment posted by Martin Dunn on April 9, 2013 at 5:00 AM

Andrius, like you said, amazing colours. it must look spectacular in the wild.
To me it looks as though the head of your bird is a bit out of focus. Given that most of your frame is filled with out of focus trees I might be tempted to crop a bit from top and sides. Unfortunately that might highlight the lack of focus on the bird.

Registered on February 20, 2013, 198 Posts, 1011 Comments

Comment posted by Elizabeth Arellano on April 9, 2013 at 12:38 PM

Amazing color and you did so well showing this to us.

Registered on February 18, 2008, 35 Posts, 302 Comments