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Avian - 1st Place
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Avian - 1st Place

by David Haynes

Gallery: EPA 2014Posted June 21, 20142,983 views24 comments
Photo of the Month 6/14

Grebes Rushing

Nikon D300s
600 = 1.4 tc
F/10
1/2500
ISO 500
WB auto
Manual Exposure
Tripod w/Wimberly head

Shot this image about three years ago while the grebes were doing their courting and rushing at a nearby lake. I really like the courtship process that both the Western and Clarks Grebes put on. I can just sit there all day watching them do this. This particular year there were several hundred maybe even thousands so the sounds of feet slapping water was constant. Getting them to rush in front of you is a bit more of a challenge on a large lake. This was taken from the shoreline in rather harsh lighting conditions. The color of the water is from a reflection of the hillside. These guys actually got too close as this is not cropped much.
Thanks for having a look see.

Comments

24 comments
Comment posted by Scott Frye on June 21, 2014 at 5:05 PM
Woot!! Gorgeous -- love the action -- great techs and the water splashes add a lot
Registered on February 3, 2007, 387 Posts, 1136 Comments
Comment posted by Patrick O'Healy on June 21, 2014 at 5:50 PM
Love the shots. :toast:
Registered on March 13, 2011, 326 Posts, 1679 Comments
Comment posted by Charlie VanTassel on June 21, 2014 at 6:00 PM
Dang! This has to be the best shot I've seen of Grebes "rushing". :toast: Now I'm going to have to delete all those that I took. :frown:
Registered on October 18, 2006, 644 Posts, 4801 Comments
Comment posted by Ray Whitt on June 21, 2014 at 8:07 PM
Wow, love the synchronization, beautiful light and colors too. So nice!

Ray
Registered on May 27, 2011, 92 Posts, 2619 Comments
Comment posted by Keith Bauer on June 21, 2014 at 9:17 PM
Marvelous capture. I've never been able to this behavior, let alone capture it. Very nice image.
Registered on November 20, 2003, 458 Posts, 4836 Comments
Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on June 22, 2014 at 11:07 AM
Sweet, the beat of the feet and the splash in the dash! Excellent photo! :toast:
Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments
Comment posted by Todd Bauer on June 22, 2014 at 1:18 PM
I can sit here nearly all day just looking at this photo.
Registered on May 28, 2014, 50 Posts, 176 Comments
Comment posted by Chet Dowell on June 23, 2014 at 9:51 AM
Gotta love this!! Wonderful everything, exposure, action, synchro, Superb capture. :toast: Chet
Registered on December 3, 2012, 237 Posts, 1171 Comments
Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on June 23, 2014 at 11:54 AM
Top notch stuff, David! Certainly among the best courtship behavior shots I've seen for Westerns or Clarks. When I've seen it, it's been half a mile away. Congratulations on a fabulous shot.
Registered on August 28, 2006, 1240 Posts, 8506 Comments
Comment posted by Bill Leggett on June 23, 2014 at 4:37 PM
Really nice capture, David. Although I've never seen it personally, it's always comical and fascinating to see these "dances" in action.
Registered on July 21, 2004, 706 Posts, 3233 Comments
Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on June 23, 2014 at 9:57 PM
Great job on this one David. Love the position of the birds in the frame, the behavior is one I wish I will see one day (still waiting) and if I do, I hope I can pull off a shot like this one. Nicely done!
Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments
Comment posted by Nate Chappell on June 25, 2014 at 4:43 PM
Spectacular shot David, great lighting and action showing this interesting behavior. :toast:
Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments
Comment posted by David Salem on June 25, 2014 at 5:45 PM
That's the way!! I love it. Hope I can get a chance next year to see these guys. Very nice Dave
Registered on June 25, 2014, 6 Posts, 67 Comments
Comment posted by Mike Ramy on June 26, 2014 at 11:06 PM
Sweet David,
Congratulations on the WP . . . :toast:
Registered on June 16, 2012, 567 Posts, 2809 Comments
Comment posted by Catherine Reilly on June 28, 2014 at 2:05 PM
What an amazing sight captured so well! Congrats on the well deserved Pick!
Registered on August 16, 2006, 603 Posts, 9192 Comments
Comment posted by keith mitchell on June 28, 2014 at 4:31 PM
David missed this when posted,congrats to you on a great shot.
Registered on July 12, 2008, 127 Posts, 1735 Comments
Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on July 11, 2014 at 2:23 PM
Terrific!
Congrats on the WP and monthly pick!

Sandy
Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments
Comment posted by William Bickle on July 11, 2014 at 3:05 PM
Hello David

CONGRATS On a Fine Capture & POM.

Bill
Registered on June 13, 2011, 183 Posts, 1702 Comments
Comment posted by Martin Dunn on July 14, 2014 at 12:15 PM
What a lovely shot David.
I've never witnessed this spectacle but it sounds engrossing.
In an ideal world, if you weren't using a 600mm lens and the grebes had given you a bit more distance, it would have been nice to have included some more of the water on the LH side.
As it stands it is still super. :toast:
Registered on February 20, 2013, 198 Posts, 1011 Comments
Comment posted by William Bickle on January 3, 2015 at 3:03 PM
Hello David

CONGRATS !

Bill
Registered on June 13, 2011, 183 Posts, 1702 Comments
Comment posted by Jagdeep Rajput on January 4, 2015 at 7:42 AM
Hi David!
Heartiest Congrats on the 1st Place!
Jagdeep Rajput :toast: :toast: :toast:
Registered on April 29, 2008, 686 Posts, 2857 Comments
Comment posted by Patrick O'Healy on January 4, 2015 at 1:48 PM
David,
Congratulations on winning first place in the Avian category. You certainly deserve it. This is all the more outstanding when you consider that you took 3/4 of the year off from NPN. The body of your work is among the very best who post on the site. I aspire to be you! Hope we get a chance to shoot again soon! :toast: :toast:
Registered on March 13, 2011, 326 Posts, 1679 Comments
Comment posted by Albert Darmo on January 5, 2015 at 10:29 AM
Hi David :wavey: Congrats on a well deserved 1st place EPA win :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast:


Albert Darmo
Canada
Registered on November 25, 2008, 1386 Posts, 11978 Comments
Comment posted by Hans Overduin on January 9, 2015 at 5:54 AM
More than deserved ! You had 'm coming ! :toast: :toast: , Hans
Registered on August 31, 2011, 491 Posts, 3807 Comments