A bird in the hand is worth one on a post

Taken at my local bird observatory. This Cuckoo was being released after having been ringed. It was on the post for probably less than a quarter of a second before making its dash for freedom.

Nikon D3
Nikon 200-400 @300mm
1000 sec
f6.3
400 iso

Very nice.

Phil.

I heard one this weekend but never caught sight of it.

Great capture of Spring.

Rob

this works well, light looks a bt harsh though.

he does looked a bit shocked nice sharp eye

Hi Tony,

nicely caught

Shame the lights a bit harsh and its too central for me. But its 100% better than any shots I have of one

Tony
I like the way you use the term "dash for freedom"
I am not a lover of ringing at all so my comments may be biased .
Supposed to offer critique so OK - the post is a bit big
Good grab though.
Cheers
John

Difficult birds to capture so well done. Personally would prefer a bit more too the right,

I haven't heard one this year so to see an image of one is a real bonus. Shame the light was so harsh but well captured anyway. (no pun intended)

As it was a grab shot you couldn't be choosy with the perch.

I'm with John on the ringing, not a lover of it.

Shaun

Nits covered on the post,harsh lighting but it's a cuckoo shot more than I've got.

Phil.

Well done on getting the shot - I've never even got close to one of these.
I've worked with ringers before and found it great for getting tight head-shots - did you manage any of the cuckoo?


Simon

Thanks for the comments,
Cuckoo's are around in good numbers on my patch. I have seen 3 together while listening to a 4th in the distance. My guess is at least 6. Four have been caught and ringed so far this year!
Simon, yes I did manage a couple of head shots before the bird was released.
I would have preferred the light to have been a lot less harsh but you take what you gets.....

Your very lucky to have them,very well captured.
Keith.

Brilliant capture,love the pose and they have beautiful eyes,lovely image