Backflip..

...and I used to think Puffins in flight were hard work..

Anyone who has actually photographed Arctic Skua will know how hard they are - for anyone who hasn't, well let's just say they are a bit quick

The bird is in the middle of doing a backflip just in front of me - sometimes coming far too close for 200mm on a full frame.

Awesome bird to see chasing a Tern - more manoeuvrable than any falcon.

D3
200-400 f4 (70-210 would have been more productive).
ISO 400
1/1250th @ f8 (+0.7EV)
AF 9point group
PP Lightroom 2 & CS3

Edit: If you can see a few white dots towards the right corner they are actually water droplets off its feet - should have cloned them out on this small jpeg.

Thanks for looking

Good one Andy. Superb pose.

Superb shot Andy. I know how fast these are to get a photograph of! Thats why I havent got any photographs of them! Great work.

Stunning pose and wonderful light on those dark feathers!
Well done!

Greetings,

Jeroen Stel

Very different shot, love the lighting. There's even a nice catchlight, great stuff

Simon

Superb timing and reactions to catch this, even with AF. Excellent.

Cracking shot Andy, how many did you miss?
not managed to get one yet soon though?

Great drama Andy, well caught sir, isn't that D3 just the bees knees!

Tim

Hi Andy, I wonder if you could just clarify the circumstances in which this was taken as this kind of aggressive behaviour is most often displayed when an 'intruder' (human or predator) is close to a nest or young chicks. I'm not suggesting that you did anything untoward here but images such as this can suggest inappropriate photographic procedure, unintentionally or otherwise. I'm not taking any moral high ground here and I'll admit that in the past I have sometimes overstepped the mark in my quest for an image and whilst no actual harm is done to the subject, our photographic endeavours can cause undue stress. I think that in an era when increasing numbers of photographers are engaged in wildlife photography with a concentration of photographers at certain honey pot locations and elsewhere the pressure on wildlife (such as the dippers in Lathkill Dale) can cause significant disturbance and in the case of the dippers, a failure to breed altogether. I'm getting off the point but you see where I'm coming from I hope. Cheers, Mark

Mark - shot is taken from a boat in the company of a certain Norwegian guide we both know well - need I say more?

Location of the shot must be over half a mile from the nearest land.

Thanks for that, Andy. Rest assured I was in no way casting doubt on your integrity but I think that with so many folks now looking into the goldfish bowl of wildlife photography it is prudent to be clear on how images were obtained. It would be easy for anyone who knows something of bird behaviour to misconstrue how this image was taken. Making it clear in your description erases any potential fall-out and is something we need to be mindful of when showing images to a global audience. Cheers, Mark

Thats ace Andy, super detail and a great expression. Love that wing extension! I agree its good to know it was nowhere near a nest.

Cheers,

Lewis.

Andy they may be quick but you caught up with this one real good,excellent.

Keith.

Unusual and acrobatic capture Andy.

Glad you had a good trip!



Mark

Absolutely superb Andy..

Fran

Terrific dynamic capture and well done on the exposure on the dark plumage.

Stunning flikght shot Andy.

Great shot. Love the dark bird against the blue b/g. Never been fortunate enough to see one of these.