Posted by Jeroen Stel on January 9, 2010 at 8:47 AM
Hi Guys,
Winter is the perfect time to photograph birds that are usually very shy and impossible to capture. One of these birds that was high on my wishlist is this Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) wich is largely nocturnal, spending most of the day in dense cover.
Their camouflage is one of the best i have ever seen in the animal kingdom and even now it is not easy to find them so i was very glad to come across this beauty.
Greetings,
Jeroen Stel
Canon Eos 1D Mark3
Shutter speed: 1/400 sec
Aperture: F 9
Exposure mode: AV
Exposure compensation: -1/3
Flash:No
Flash exposure compensation:
Metering mode: Evaluative
Drive mode: AI Focus
ISO: 400
Lens: Canon 600mm F4
Focal length:780 mm (incl. crop factor)
AF mode: Auto Focus
On beanbag from car window
Levels/Curves/USM/Contrast/Saturation/Noise Ninja/Lab-Sharpening
_________________
Good things come to those who wait...
Golden rule in Nature & Wildlife Photography
Great image. Quite a busy background which works perfectly in this case. Eye contact and bill position are great.
If you want an interesting read about camouflage, Stephen Jay Gould wrote a cracking essay on it and how a chap called Abbott Thayer who described counter-shading, something that occurs a lot in birds (Snipe being a perfect example). Sadly his clever discovery went to his head and he was somewhat ridiculed by the scientific community and Theodore Roosevelt of all people.
See Bully for Brontosaurus ISBN-10: 0140159851
Chris
Posted by Guy Rogers on January 9, 2010 at 10:57 AM
Hello Jeroen.
Perfect setting for this image.
Well seen and captured.
Posted by Kim Connolly on January 9, 2010 at 11:10 AM
Brilliant work.
Posted by Craig Jones on January 9, 2010 at 11:28 AM
Stunning and the composition is brillant!! Looks like a landscape image he's that well hidden Well Done Jeroen
Posted by Ron McCombe on January 9, 2010 at 3:45 PM
Posted by Major Gilbert on January 10, 2010 at 3:33 AM
They are indeed perfectly hidden most of the time. If they move or you find them in snow then its a different story or if they give you a wink with those massive eyes
The airfield I frequent currently has them all over. They are still not easy and will frequently freeze at you arriving only to run off into the background and even more cover. Its good to see a shot like this as it demonstrates just how good their camo is and to those not knowing an eye opener.
Major.
Posted by Ian Haskell on January 10, 2010 at 7:59 AM
Nice shot. Great to see a shot of their camo in action.
Ian
Posted by David Kjaer on January 10, 2010 at 11:31 AM
Not an easy species - nice one!
David
Posted by Ian Mason on January 10, 2010 at 2:20 PM
Discussion
14 repliesWinter is the perfect time to photograph birds that are usually very shy and impossible to capture. One of these birds that was high on my wishlist is this Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) wich is largely nocturnal, spending most of the day in dense cover.
Their camouflage is one of the best i have ever seen in the animal kingdom and even now it is not easy to find them so i was very glad to come across this beauty.
Greetings,
Jeroen Stel
Canon Eos 1D Mark3
Shutter speed: 1/400 sec
Aperture: F 9
Exposure mode: AV
Exposure compensation: -1/3
Flash:No
Flash exposure compensation:
Metering mode: Evaluative
Drive mode: AI Focus
ISO: 400
Lens: Canon 600mm F4
Focal length:780 mm (incl. crop factor)
AF mode: Auto Focus
On beanbag from car window
Levels/Curves/USM/Contrast/Saturation/Noise Ninja/Lab-Sharpening
_________________
Good things come to those who wait...
Golden rule in Nature & Wildlife Photography
www.jeroenstel.com
http://jeroenstel.blogspot.com/
Well captured.
Simon
Great image. Quite a busy background which works perfectly in this case. Eye contact and bill position are great.
If you want an interesting read about camouflage, Stephen Jay Gould wrote a cracking essay on it and how a chap called Abbott Thayer who described counter-shading, something that occurs a lot in birds (Snipe being a perfect example). Sadly his clever discovery went to his head and he was somewhat ridiculed by the scientific community and Theodore Roosevelt of all people.
See Bully for Brontosaurus ISBN-10: 0140159851
Chris
Perfect setting for this image.
Well seen and captured.
You did well seeing it in the first place
Ron
and equally well taken
The airfield I frequent currently has them all over. They are still not easy and will frequently freeze at you arriving only to run off into the background and even more cover. Its good to see a shot like this as it demonstrates just how good their camo is and to those not knowing an eye opener.
Major.
Ian
David