Purple gallinule

I've tried a couple of times to photograph the purple swamphen when travelling in Spain, but they are a rather frustrating subject always creeping through the reedbed and rarely appearing in the open. This is my best effort to date, warts and all.

Oly E-3, 300mm plus 1.4tc, 1/250s at F4, iso 400, full frame

Never even heard of one let alone seen one Mike - instructive image.

The shot is what it is, exposure and detail spot-on

Sounds as if congrats for perseverance are well due

Andy

PGs are still scarce in Europe and a "mega" if encountered in the UK, I think I'm right that they became an endangered european species at one stage, although like marbled teal and white headed duck they have made a bit of a resurgance through European conservation efforts. This bird doesn't quite have full breeding plumage, the deep red bill sheath is still developing.

Mike

With a face like that Mike -no wonder they're secretive !!
Great stuff.
JohnR

Looks great to me!

Well seen and recorded Mike. A nice reflection too.

Cheers

Austin

Very nice, and a good reward for your hard work, well done

Thanks guys, the really hard work has been done by the Spanish conservation groups!

Never heard of them. Nice picture. It also gives you a good view of their environment.