Marabou Stork Feeding

Gallery: AvianPosted October 21, 2013151 views8 comments

There have been a couple of nice shots of this species posted recently so I thought I would add mine. I took this from a boat on the Chobe River this summer. We found this Marabou Stork feeding on a very large catfish (which can be seen partially at the bottom of the frame) by the side of the river. The stork would grab bits of the flesh, toss them info the air and catch them, it was a feeding technique that I surprised me, it seemed like it would be more work than just swallowing the pieces. This is almost full frame with a little bit cropped from top and right. I wouldn't mind a little more room on the bottom but I don't have it, the difficulties of composing a fixed lens shot from a boat.

Canon 5D3 500F4 1/4000 F6.3, iso 800, handheld from boat

Comments

8 comments

Comment posted by Jefferson Silva on October 21, 2013 at 6:48 PM

Very nice, Nate.
You said, it would be great if you could have some more room on the boom. Anyway, a very nice image. Good action, nice details.

Registered on December 18, 2012, 162 Posts, 975 Comments

Comment posted by Greg Oakley on October 22, 2013 at 2:23 AM

Great timing and pose Nate. Love the fish in the foreground as well!

Registered on June 12, 2012, 115 Posts, 266 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on October 22, 2013 at 3:21 AM

Great capture Nate - like the low angle and feeding. Maybe a frac more room below??

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

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on October 22, 2013 at 8:30 AM

Nate,

It seem that I will have to try much harder the next time I get the opportunity of getting one of these. This is marvelous, having recently also taken images from a boat on the Chobe I know how difficult the bobbing up and down makes things.

Registered on December 15, 2010, 1537 Posts, 4877 Comments

Comment posted by Barbara Graham on October 23, 2013 at 8:04 PM

I really like the light and your DOF, the sharpness and the detail, as well as the feeding activity.

Registered on July 27, 2010, 1310 Posts, 5035 Comments

Comment posted by Martin Dunn on October 24, 2013 at 11:02 AM

Nate, ,I think they throw the pieces up and catch them because although they can grab stuff with the tip of the beak they cannot swallow from there and have to get if further down the throat.

That's one ugly bird. Neat colours. One observation: although the white feathers are very well exposed the stork's legs seem as if they are a bit too bright and could perhaps take a bit of darkening.

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

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on October 26, 2013 at 9:10 PM

Very nice Nate, love the action & your techs look great.. Excellent POV as well.
Enjoyed the show

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

Comment posted by Hans Overduin on October 27, 2013 at 3:29 PM

Interesting behavior - well documented ! Cheers, Hans

Registered on August 31, 2011, 491 Posts, 3807 Comments