Red-Billed Oxpeckers

Gallery: AvianPosted September 16, 2014277 views16 comments

One of the more amusing moments from my Africa trip. We were photographing a couple of oxpeckers chirping occasionally while perched on a giraffe's neck, when suddenly a chorus of four additional heads popped up out of nowhere in between them and began chirping back. They had flown in on the back side of the giraffe, so it was a pleasant (and somewhat comical--guess you had to be there) surprise.

Canon 1DX
Canon 500mm f/4 IS
ISO 800
1/1250th
f/9

Max

Comments

16 comments

Comment posted by Mike Ramy on September 16, 2014 at 2:34 PM

Well presented and a 'Make you Smile' image for sure,
Very

Max !

Registered on June 16, 2012, 567 Posts, 2809 Comments

Comment posted by Lucy VanSwearingen on September 16, 2014 at 3:13 PM

very cute, indeed! I would clone out the fly and the twig/another fly? on the left side of the giraffe (near the mane) to keep this looking clean and fresh.

Registered on May 23, 2009, 800 Posts, 2042 Comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on September 16, 2014 at 3:25 PM

Lucy, I'm not really into cloning rampantly (something that goes back to a semi-journalistic background when I started to shoot more seriously a decade ago) but thank you for pointing that out. I hadn't even noticed it. Coincidentally, I cropped this a bit tighter from the bottom in order to not include an even bigger white fleck that was also on the giraffe's fur and was a big distraction.

Max

Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments

Comment posted by John Launstein on September 16, 2014 at 6:23 PM

Max, this is phenomenal. Fantastic graphic appeal, extremely interesting and entertaining moment of natural history, and outstanding techs and comp. Definite winner IMO. I'd say it's one of my favourites of yours but really it's so different it simply ANOTHER favourite.

I would mention that the reds are crazy intense but I suspect you didn't enhance them...I just don't know this species, sadly! AWESOME stuff.

Registered on April 5, 2011, 223 Posts, 1193 Comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on September 16, 2014 at 7:27 PM

John, thanks for the feedback. With this species, the reds and yellows usually are intense (the warm afternoon light probably helped things a bit too). I didn't choose to reduce the intensity of the red tones because they didn't look too unnatural on my monitor, but it's worth a second look just in case.

Max

Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on September 16, 2014 at 7:45 PM

Looks like a puppet show! A neat photo, and tickled my funny bone!

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on September 16, 2014 at 10:26 PM

Very cool comp on this one Max...love it! I wish a had a larger version though to critique...especially with the birds that small in the frame. the orange does seem a bit over saturated...but again hard to tell when so small. Still really nice image.

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

Comment posted by Ken Archer on September 17, 2014 at 3:45 AM

This is an awesome photograph Max

Perfect poses by the birds. I really like the patterns of the giraffe's fur as a foreground. Excellent composition.

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on September 17, 2014 at 11:25 AM

Per John's critique, I did tone down the red in the bills a bit in this version, but I think the difference in negligible (maybe it's slightly more subtle).

Max

Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments

Comment posted by Stephen Kaluski on September 18, 2014 at 6:20 AM

A different and unique portrayal of these birds, cool, the name looks, or has the appearance of tall grass.

Good cal on the crop format.

I would agree on dropping the saturation, as I feel it maybe choking some of the finer detail, likewise watch the sharpening, as there are signs of halo lines on the back of the birds RHS's.

TFS
Steve

Registered on March 25, 2007, 189 Posts, 1064 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on September 19, 2014 at 3:49 AM

Classic Max

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

Comment posted by S Govindarajan on September 19, 2014 at 11:17 AM

Fun image for sure, Max. Nice pano.

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

Comment posted by Patrick O'Healy on September 19, 2014 at 7:51 PM

Stunning and unusual shot. Once in a lifetime.

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

Comment posted by Ray Whitt on September 23, 2014 at 8:08 AM

Thats a great perch nice of the giraffe to oblige! Excellent composition.

Ray

Registered on May 27, 2011, 92 Posts, 2619 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on September 23, 2014 at 8:59 AM

Max,

What a magical moment you have captured here.I agree totally with your comment regarding the red bills, looks totally natural to me.
Not only is the perch splendid the various head angles enhance the fun

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

Comment posted by Paul Breitkreuz on September 28, 2014 at 2:18 PM

Max, what a fine scene to witness and of course photograph as well. Artistically it is wonderful, but it also brings a big grin to us who have never really seen anything like this. Congratulations on the uniqueness and the WP here for this image too.

Registered on February 25, 2006, 525 Posts, 8448 Comments