Some kind of bird...(help me identify it!)...in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Part of my Botswana album.

Canon EOS 1N. 70-200L at: 200mm, f/2.8 with Fuji Sensia II.

Off the top of my head, I can think of one or two compositional issues, but let me know what you think.

-- James Tarquin (jtarquin@usa.net), November 30, 1999

Answers

White Fronted Bee Eater. Usually gregarious catching insects (love bees as name suggests) on the wing. They often perch as above and slap their victim around on the branch before eating it. They nest in burrows in cliff faces or in the ground and are often seen nesting with Carmine Bee Eaters in cliff faces in Zimbabwe Botswana etc. Often seen near water. They extend down as far as Natal in South Africa in summer months.

Love this family of birds. All Bee Eeters are wonderfully colored and sometimes quite tollerant to being photographed if you approach quietly.

-- Clive Culverwell (culverwellc@aurorabio.com), November 30, 1999.

The depth of field is fantastic, as is the bird's pose. He looks like he was eying a bee on the wing at the time you took the picture. I only wish his tail wasn't cut off, but I'd be proud to call this my own work.

Pat

-- Patrick Feltmate (pfeltmat@tupmcms1.med.dal.ca), November 30, 1999.

Great image. I really like the soft colors. This reminds me of an oil painting.

-- Mark Castiglia (markus777@earthlink.net), December 01, 1999.

Nice image, but a vertical composition with a 300mm or 400mm lens would be even better.

-- Shun Cheung (shun@worldnet.att.net), December 02, 1999.

I agree with the above comment. I think the photo is great as far as the subject is concerned but it appears too small and as a result fails to fill the entire frame. The negative space behind the subject is pleasantly rendered, however, the photo would be more pleasant if the subject appeared larger and more frame-filling. Overall, I enjoyed the shot very much.

-- Matt Wallace (mwally007@hotmail.com), December 02, 1999.

What I really like about this picture is the way the shape and position of the bird mimic many of the out of focus elements in the background. I agree that a tighter, verticle crop would improve the picture though.

-- Billy Gorum (Herphoto@aol.com), December 03, 1999.

Thanks for the response. I agree on all fronts...A vertical comp would have been great. Unfortunately, in the heat of the moment, composition is not foremost on my mind. Rather, I'm thinking, "Take the *%&@^& Shot! Quick!"

The original slide has the very bottom of the tail...Alas! chopped off in the scan. It was still too close to the bottom.

I took a few more of the same bird, but this is my favorite.

-- James Tarquin (me@jtarquin.com), December 06, 1999.