American Coot

Gallery: AvianPosted April 21, 2013105 views11 comments

American Coot (Fulica americana)

Place: Gilbert Water Ranch, AZ
Date: April 7, 2013, 7:44 am
Equipment: Nikon D300, Nikkor AF-S 300/2.8 plus TC20E III (2x), G 1325, RRS BH-55, Sidekick
Exposure: ISO 400, aperture priority matrix meter 1/1250th @ f/8, -2/3 ev compensation
Raw, PS CS3 on Mac G4, 68% of frame
No bait, no set-up, no clone, no noise reduction

I’ve had a lot of other distractions and less time for photography lately. Here’s an American Coot from a couple weeks ago. A common and oftern overlooked species, but I love their feet.

Honest critiques requested; all comments appreciated. Larger version provided.

Comments

11 comments

Comment posted by John Neukirch on April 21, 2013 at 5:23 PM

Lovely warm light and a fun image. I'm totally with you, those feet are a hoot! Thanks for sharing Richard.

Registered on July 9, 2012, 207 Posts, 1476 Comments

Comment posted by Patrick O'Healy on April 21, 2013 at 6:40 PM

Richard,
Coots are like pigeons here in southern California, and consequently we don't often shoot them. I like your shot, and of course the feet are always entertaining.
Patrick

Registered on March 13, 2011, 326 Posts, 1679 Comments

Comment posted by Barb Pflaum on April 21, 2013 at 8:21 PM

I've heard coots are common, but I don't see them around here, so it's an interesting bird to me. And I've never seen feet like that! Nice pose, lighting and bg.

Registered on January 14, 2009, 316 Posts, 2724 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on April 21, 2013 at 9:16 PM

I agree, their feet really grab your eye Rich.. I don't remember ever seeing them this detailed/close before.
Excellent comp and warm color, very nice

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on April 21, 2013 at 9:22 PM

I love seeing shots showing the huge feet theses guys have. Nicely done Richard.

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments

Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on April 21, 2013 at 10:11 PM

A really nice shot of this Coot! Nice light and wonderful details I'm not used to seeing on Coot images. I'm always surprised that coots have any of their feet left because, to me, their toes look like bait! Very nicely done! Sharon

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

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on April 22, 2013 at 8:11 AM

An awesome look at the lobed toes Rich. Also like the habitat and BG.

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

Comment posted by Martin Dunn on April 22, 2013 at 8:48 AM

Great detail Richard. When you see these birds they look black, but your photo shows some very lovely and subtel colour variations on the breast and underparts. And yeah, the feet are ridiculous.

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

Comment posted by John Sherman on April 22, 2013 at 1:22 PM

Kudos on the feet and also retaining detail in the head feathers while not blowing out the bill. Go coots!

Registered on March 10, 2013, 31 Posts, 142 Comments

Comment posted by Charlie VanTassel on April 22, 2013 at 11:01 PM

As a person with size 13 - 1/2 feet I can relate to a bird like this. Nice to see one out of the water.

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

Comment posted by S Govindarajan on April 23, 2013 at 11:35 PM

Very nice light, Richard. Excellent techs also. I like that I can see the detailed texture in its body. They are somewhat difficult to get properly with their whites and blacks. Great look at their misshapen feet as you said. A little more room at the bottom would be better if you have it.

Registered on April 19, 2008, 115 Posts, 1921 Comments