Loon with crayfish

It was an evening filled with incredible photo ops, as this adult loon was on a feeding frenzy with his / her two young. I observed the presence of only one adult, which left me wondering. I tried so desperately to get a good shot of an exchange of food, but to no avail. I shot this from my kayak, and was able to get within 10-15 feet of the three, although I chose not to get that close for fear of stressing them out. All three could have cared less about my presence. Some places I go I cannot get with 50-100 feet and they dive or let me know my company is not welcome, especially with chicks. Go figure! This adults battle for food from below the surface was a great observation. I always make it habit to photograph loons with a neutral green background, and calm waters. This body of water is very remote, no boats, houses or human presence of any kind. I would think just the opposite in terms of the approach. Storm clouds approached and the light diminished quickly, but I was able to dodge the raindrops and get some great shots. This image is presented as taken, except for top and bottom crop. SPECS: CANON EOS 1D MARK II, 100-400 IS at 400mm, 1/400th, f:5.6 at ISO 1250, AI SERVO mode, selective AF sensor. Comments, feedback are welcome.

Mitch Moraski
E. Montpelier, VT

Wow...great capture...and what cooperative birds. Great detail in the dark feathers on his head, and the drop hanging from the beak shows great timing. I'd perhaps like to see just a wee bit more room around the bird...but I usually tend to like envronment over closups...personal taste, to be taken with grain of salt.

Boy are you brave to take you top line equipment in your kayak. When I get a chance to use it, I take a point & shoot. Maybe it's just because I'm not as experienced. Regardless, wonderful image.