PC's 2019: a lazy year

[Peter Connan]

I only have this one shot of that bird, but the previous photo is of a mature Stilt, taken just over a minute earlier...

 

So, number 20) becomes Black-winged Stilt, Rooipootelsie,    

Himantopus himantopus

 

Thanks for the assistance everyone!

Edited April 11, 2019 by Peter Connan

[Dave Williams]

4 hours ago, Peter Connan said:

I only have this one shot of that bird, but the previous photo is of a mature Stilt, taken just over a minute earlier...

 

So, 20) Black-winged Stilt, Rooipootelsie,    

Himantopus himantopus

 

Thanks for the assistance everyone!

 

Do you have a sound track to go with this even better EBC!!

[Galana]

Glad that is sorted! @Dave Williams

Soundtracks are all very well but how do we play them on here?

[Peter Connan]

Sorry @Dave Williams, that was a re-naming of the previous bird posted. Should have been more clear hey?

[Peter Connan]

21) Yellow-billed Duck

 

Geelbekeend

Anas undulata

 

Zibulo, 17 February

[xelas]

I know that duck!!

[Dave Williams]

Great POV on the duck!

[pedro maia]

@Peter Connan Do you use a tripod for your birds in flight pictures?

[Peter Connan]

Thanks @xelas and @Dave Williams.

@pedro maia, no. Most of my BIF are shot hand-held. In a hide I may use a ground pod and gimbal head, or a sandbag. I think this particular one was off a sandbag.

 

I firmly believe that for BIF you ne3d shutter speeds that are so high that one can hand-hold the longest lenses without fear of motion blur, but the super-telephoto primes are so heavy that it is difficult to impossible to hand-hold them for any length of time.

 

I  can point my 500 f4 for just a few minutes. The new long zooms are much lighter. And of course there is now the new Nikkor 500 f5.6 which I think is a game-changing lens.

[xelas]

3 hours ago, Peter Connan said:

I  can point my 500 f4 for just a few minutes.

 That is because you are young and fit. I could point your 500 f/4 for just a few seconds ! 

[Peter Connan]

Not feeling particularly young or fit @xelas. There is a trick. Elbow in the side, lens foot resting on the fingertips. This technique makes it possible to hold it up for a couple of minutes...

 

But it is not controllable enough for birds flying by, I use it for perching birds that look like they are about to take off. 

 

Normally, they then sit dead still until I lower the camera, and then immediately fly off...

[Peter Connan]

22) Egyptian Goose

 

Kolgans

Alopochen aegyptiacus

 

12 January, Marievale

[Peter Connan]

23) Pied Avocet

 

Bontelsie

Recurvirostra avosetta

 

12 January, Marievale

[Peter Connan]

24) African Marsh Harrier

 

Afrikaanse Vleivalk

Circus ranivorus

 

12 January, Marievale

[Peter Connan]

25) Fulvous Duck

 

Fluiteend

Dendrocygna bicolor

 

12 January, Marievale

[Peter Connan]

26) Pied Kingfisher

 

Bontvisvanger

Ceryle rudis

 

Zibulo, 17 February

[Peter Connan]

27) Sacred Ibis

 

Skoorsteenveer

Threskiornis aethiopicus

 

12 January, Marievale

 

And sorry @Dave Williams, but this one's too good to pass up.

17 February, Zibulo

[Kitsafari]

i'm glad you didn't pass up on the second pic of the sacred ibis - it's lovely with the wind ruffling up its feathers!

 

interesting that you took the shot at such a low level - were you in a hide? 

Edited April 16, 2019 by Kitsafari

[Dave Williams]

Great shot and POV Peter.

[Soukous]

I only just got around to checking out your Big Year @Peter Connan some terrific shots in there. I particularly like the high percentage of in flight shots.

 

I decided to re-evaluate my approach to Big Year in 2019. I found that the irresistible pull of competing meant that I was posting some shots just to get the numbers up; shots I would not normally have bothered sharing.

I also found that, as almost all my travels are in Africa, I was shooting the same birds every year and that because we can only post each species once I would post a shot in February and then find I got many better shots of the same bird later in the year.

 

So, I'm keeping a tally and will only start positing when I see how my year in panning out. I'd like to be able to post some different species too. We'll see. 

[Galana]

@Soukous Each to their own but I would have thought that despite the 'pressure' to get the numbers rolling up one can still be selective. I am not sure if 'quality counts' in this thread and one can always post a "Product improvement" picture later. As to being confined to Africa I seem to recall you posted some good stuff from UK another year.  I have not left Europe yet and yes, there are some rubbish shots  in my score but that's how it goes!

So come on. Share the spoils and the fun.

[xelas]

While numbers are important, as a photographer I am always trying to get a "new" perspective on a well known species (back home only). Some photos are put into "hold" folder, waiting if a better one could be taken. After a while, this folder needs to be "cleared", yet, if a better one is taken after posting the "original", why not sharing also that one?! This Big Year is about having fun, from both sides.

[PeterHG]

What a great Ibis shot with this low angle!

[Peter Connan]

Thanks everyone. @Kitsafari, yes, this was from a water-level hide.

 

@Soukous, last year I tried to post only good pictures, although a couple of rough ones did slip through. I also run a list, which has a second portion for EBC's which I may or may not use to reach a particular target towards the end of the year if I don't manage something better during the year.

 

I suspect next year my goal will be to post only BIF shots...

[Peter Connan]

28) Little Grebe

 

Kleindobbertjie

Tachybaptus ruficollis

 

12 January, Marievale