Brandt's Cormorant

Gallery: AvianPosted March 18, 2018222 views6 comments

While we were in Pacific Grove, we took a boat tour of Elkhorn Slough (a bit north). These cormorants were nesting on the unused piers and posts in the marina where we started and the males were displaying nicely. The folks at Elkhorn Slough Safaris did a good job and I got some nice photo opportunities, despite it being midday. They have to time the tours for low tide to get under a bridge, so they don't have much control over the time of day.

7Dii, Sigma 150-600 C @ 546 mm, hand held, f/8, 1/4000, iso 1000, aperture priority, pattern metering, -2/3 EV. Processed in LR & PS CC. Cropped to 14.7 MP and cloned out part of a female to the right. Taken at 11:16 am on March 9th.

While none of the blacks are blocked in this image, some may find the shadows too dark for their taste.

Your comments and critiques are always welcome and appreciated.

Thanks for taking a look,

Comments

6 comments

Comment posted by Charles Gangas on March 18, 2018 at 5:38 PM

Nice to get this bird displaying Dennis-the iridescent throat shows beautifully.

Registered on August 12, 2009, 544 Posts, 2414 Comments

Comment posted by Ed Williams on March 19, 2018 at 8:50 AM

Love the display Dennis, that tail is choice. The iridescent chin is also very nice. The blacks look fine.

Registered on December 28, 2010, 636 Posts, 3499 Comments

Comment posted by David Schoen on March 19, 2018 at 4:27 PM

A good behavioral shot with good detail in the larger image. I like the pose and the head colors contrasting with the rest of the bird.

Registered on November 6, 2006, 1213 Posts, 4587 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on March 20, 2018 at 7:10 AM

Excellent "display" pose, and nice detail in the tough blacks.
Great catch!
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on March 23, 2018 at 1:55 PM

Nice pose you managed Dennis. I might be tempted to bring up the shadows, but only a tiny bit. I still think you exposed them properly. Nice work!

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

Comment posted by Shirley Freeman on March 23, 2018 at 4:04 PM

Beautiful bird, and captured so well, Dennis. I just love the pose, showing off his colors. Nicely done.

Registered on May 27, 2017, 77 Posts, 844 Comments