Posted by Nick Mckeown on February 10, 2013 at 11:13 AM
D7000 500mm f4 ISO 250 1/800s at f8. hand held using knees as rest whilst semi lay down......snow up me jacket and frozen kidneys!
Went back to the Cairngorms yesterday and lugged the big gun up to the corrie. No wind this time (no wind chill) but misty at times which meant almost white out conditions. Found a group of ptarmigan feeeding on the hillside where there is lesss snow so they can reach the heather below it and spent almost 3 hours with them. This shot is a bit arty farty cos I liked what Phil did to my last post but I have posted it to show the eyelid of these superbly adapted birds. As you can see it is white (helps with the camoflauge) but it has feathers on the skin of the eyelid to insulate against the cold. Is that neat or what?!
Many thanks for taking the time and trouble to comment on my last post.
Nick.
Posted by keith mitchell on February 10, 2013 at 11:36 AM
Nick arty farty? a work of art it is in my book,that bit of stone does grab my eye a little bit ,see what others think.Another super image from you Nick
Keith.
Posted by Nick Mckeown on February 10, 2013 at 12:27 PM
Thanks Keith! I kinda like the juxtaposition of the white bird in a white world with a splash of colour, albeit muted, which in itself is almost covered in white. Interesting to see what others think as you say.
Nick.
Posted by keith mitchell on February 10, 2013 at 1:54 PM
Nick something that i forgot to mention is the difficulty you must have had to get this shot i tried last year and was really surprised how hard it was up there,so very well done on this.
Keith.
Posted by David Sewell on February 10, 2013 at 5:31 PM
Very rarely can you post a shot that does not include the eyes, but the story of the eyelid is interesting and the picture exudes the cold nature of the habitat. Great work.
David
Posted by David Taylor on February 10, 2013 at 5:36 PM
Superb shot of the ptarmigan and I love the Scottish granite.
Posted by Nick Mckeown on February 11, 2013 at 3:13 AM
Many thanks folks! Heres a shot with the eye open. You can see why the eyelid is white.
Nick.
Posted by Neil Burton on February 11, 2013 at 3:47 AM
Envious of your set of Snow Grouse shots. Got to be said there's nothing beats spending time with Grouse in snow , and it makes you realise what hardy little birds they are! Hopefully one year I'll get to photograph the Snow Grouse! (BTW, if you ever get close enough, check out the eyelids on Red Grouse - they're feathered too. The feathers are really minute.)
Posted by Simon Litten on February 11, 2013 at 7:04 AM
A cracking shot, Nick.
Posted by Barry Southon on February 11, 2013 at 12:41 PM
Nick
Now that's special, just reward for the effort I'm sure.
Posted by Kim Connolly on February 11, 2013 at 1:43 PM
Discussion
13 repliesWent back to the Cairngorms yesterday and lugged the big gun up to the corrie. No wind this time (no wind chill) but misty at times which meant almost white out conditions. Found a group of ptarmigan feeeding on the hillside where there is lesss snow so they can reach the heather below it and spent almost 3 hours with them. This shot is a bit arty farty cos I liked what Phil did to my last post but I have posted it to show the eyelid of these superbly adapted birds. As you can see it is white (helps with the camoflauge) but it has feathers on the skin of the eyelid to insulate against the cold. Is that neat or what?!
Many thanks for taking the time and trouble to comment on my last post.
Nick.
Keith.
Nick.
Keith.
David
Nick.
Now that's special, just reward for the effort I'm sure.