GCG 'feather' feeding their chick

Gallery: AvianPosted May 18, 20062,721 views36 comments

A little while ago I described the behavior of the GCG to swallow their own feathers in order to digest the fishbones in their belly. I mentioned that I still wanted a shot of the parents feeding the chick. I got quite close to the shot I wanted. I would have liked to have had a bit more DOF, to get a sharper female, but as I always handhold my camera I was affraid to get motion blur otherwise and didn't want to go up to ISO 400.

Thanks for watching,

Canon EOS 350D 1/500 f8.0 EV manual
ISO 200
Canon 100-400 L IS USM
Focal Lenght 210mm
RAW
Cropped some of the left to focus on the chick a bit more.

Comments

36 comments

Comment posted by Graeme Lee on May 18, 2006 at 4:11 PM

You're killing me now Krijn..... I rattled off about 3gb of Grebe and chick shots and have nothing near to this. Wonderfully captured and a great shooting angle. I can't believe it's 210mm. I was struggling with a 500 and 1.4!!! Did you have to move off their nest when they returned?

a big

Graeme

Registered on May 8, 2006, 85 Posts, 641 Comments

Comment posted by Juza on May 18, 2006 at 4:11 PM

Sweeeeeet!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 374 Posts, 10466 Comments

Comment posted by Mike Milicia on May 18, 2006 at 4:17 PM

Amazing shot in every way !!
Big congrats on this one !!

Registered on July 25, 2005, 145 Posts, 302 Comments

Comment posted by KC Choo on May 18, 2006 at 4:22 PM

Fabulous, Krijn!

I've not used a 350D, and was wondering if it is noisy at ISO400, this being the reason for your reluctance to go higher.

Registered on November 15, 2004, 519 Posts, 8278 Comments

Comment posted by Kevin Thompson on May 18, 2006 at 4:24 PM

Excellent behavior shot Krijn! Well done!

Registered on March 15, 2005, 114 Posts, 2639 Comments

Comment posted by Krijn Trimbos on May 18, 2006 at 4:28 PM

No not really Kwan! But I wanted this to be perfect and thought it was untill I saw it in RAW shooter and noticed that the female was not completely sharp. Still I didn't think it was to big a deal cause it was about the chick in this shot so I am real happy with this one

Registered on October 18, 2005, 260 Posts, 2979 Comments

Comment posted by David Kjaer on May 18, 2006 at 4:29 PM

Amazing - I love it!

David

Registered on January 4, 2006, 128 Posts, 4170 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Garber on May 18, 2006 at 4:49 PM

Very Nice!

Registered on November 17, 2003, 704 Posts, 3535 Comments

Comment posted by Mike Krehbiel on May 18, 2006 at 4:54 PM

Wonderful shot, Krijn!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 59 Posts, 155 Comments

Comment posted by David Williams on May 18, 2006 at 5:32 PM

Oh man, Krijn......this is too good for words to describe!

Registered on March 8, 2005, 315 Posts, 2291 Comments

Comment posted by Bob Steele on May 18, 2006 at 5:38 PM

Oh my, isn't this gorgeous!!!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 354 Posts, 13896 Comments

Comment posted by Satie Sharma on May 18, 2006 at 6:04 PM

Fantastic!!

Registered on November 11, 2003, 189 Posts, 5335 Comments

Comment posted by Tom Merigan on May 18, 2006 at 6:05 PM

Great Shot for interesting action with sharp detail!! The DOF keeps it simple but very effective.
Tom Merigan
Portola Valley,CA

Registered on April 24, 2006, 69 Posts, 751 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on May 18, 2006 at 8:37 PM

Awesome

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by Scott M on May 18, 2006 at 8:56 PM

Awesome Krijn

I love the mood of this shot. The eye contact between the chick and mother really show the bond between the two. The mother seems to have a loving/attentive look, while the father strolls through the pond looking proud, as he shows off his offspring.....This is awesome.

Registered on May 16, 2006, 27 Posts, 388 Comments

Comment posted by Chi Wang on May 18, 2006 at 11:02 PM

Where's the kid.. oh, wait, i see it.. so cute..

Registered on March 29, 2004, 68 Posts, 179 Comments

Comment posted by Hans Spiecker on May 18, 2006 at 11:07 PM

You guys have been posting these wonderful photos of these gorgeous Grebes for a while now. I will never tire of them and then now this terriffic shot of these babies and the feather action

What can we expect next to top this?

Registered on March 23, 2006, 366 Posts, 4649 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on May 19, 2006 at 1:36 AM

I keep coming back for a second look at this one Krijn, IMO this is one of the better shots I have ever seen posted here.

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by Jasper Doest on May 19, 2006 at 3:19 AM

Yes Krijn, this is a good one...very nice shot! My only suggestion would be to crop a bit of bottom...this would put even more attention to the birds as my eye keeps going to the rimpling water as it is a bit distracting. This is the best place to photograph Grebes in the whole world, don't you think

BTW, I hate you for the zoomlens...I had exactly the same in front of me....but I was too close.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 371 Posts, 2101 Comments

Comment posted by Colin Smale on May 19, 2006 at 3:38 AM

Wowee, that is so good. Nice crop and composition, looks perfectly sharp everywhere on my monitor. The only thing I would do with this is just to clone out that black bit of something under the crest of the bird on the right, could even be a bit of dust on the sensor but my eye keeps going to it now.
Wonderful shot.

Registered on November 10, 2003, 48 Posts, 1158 Comments

Comment posted by Dave Courtenay on May 19, 2006 at 5:31 AM

Lovely image-they are only just building nests here cant believe yours are so far advanced

Registered on July 18, 2005, 56 Posts, 462 Comments

Comment posted by Josh Anderson on May 19, 2006 at 8:30 AM

Great shot!

Registered on June 2, 2005, 493 Posts, 2996 Comments

Comment posted by Garth McElroy on May 19, 2006 at 9:04 AM

Fantastic!!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 248 Posts, 4406 Comments

Comment posted by Jake Dingel on May 19, 2006 at 9:10 AM

Registered on April 24, 2006, 34 Posts, 633 Comments

Comment posted by Dustin Harris on May 19, 2006 at 3:08 PM

Astounding!

Registered on April 4, 2006, 2 Posts, 50 Comments

Comment posted by Mack Barham on May 19, 2006 at 3:53 PM

Wonerful shot - interesting behavior!

Registered on August 12, 2005, 537 Posts, 1107 Comments

Comment posted by Prashant Khapane on May 22, 2006 at 7:49 AM

Registered on November 1, 2003, 492 Posts, 4580 Comments

Comment posted by Helge Sorensen on May 22, 2006 at 9:34 AM

Congrats Krijn on the pick and one fantastic photo, this is outstanding in every way

Registered on November 1, 2003, 186 Posts, 1526 Comments

Comment posted by Doug Benner on May 22, 2006 at 3:32 PM

excellent work - congratulations

Registered on December 8, 2003, 482 Posts, 1868 Comments

Comment posted by Michelle C. Parent on May 24, 2006 at 8:29 AM

Krijn,
Congrats on the EP!!

Registered on June 23, 2004, 453 Posts, 5551 Comments

Comment posted by Ed Dubois on May 26, 2006 at 1:55 AM

Congratulations on the EP Krijn - it's well deserved

PS. Kwan and I are meeting Jasper tomorrow morning to find savannah sparrows on the lupines

Registered on February 22, 2005, 129 Posts, 4739 Comments

Comment posted by Jasper Doest on May 27, 2006 at 12:13 AM

Congrats on the EP Krijn! And to make you jealous....Ed, Kwan and I had a wonderful time today with the savannah sparrows and you'll probably hate me for the pictures I took there....

Have fun with the Grebes and say hi from me!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 371 Posts, 2101 Comments

Comment posted by KC Choo on May 28, 2006 at 10:02 PM

Congrats from me, too, on this EP! Well deserved! I spent a great day with Jasper and Ed.......ah, to be young again!

Registered on November 15, 2004, 519 Posts, 8278 Comments

Comment posted by Gregory Lazzaro on September 3, 2006 at 12:33 PM

Only have seen one of these birds once, well out of my lens range. Well taken, like the exposure and there is good detail.

Greg