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High Speed Harrassment


High Speed Harrassment
Photo Information
Copyright: Scott Evers (scottevers7) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 2432 W: 3 N: 3894] (12309)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-05-05
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon 20D, Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS + EF 1.4X II, B+W UV MRC
Exposure: f/5.6, 1/2000 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): 100 points or more (Chapter 2) [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2006-05-05 22:18
Viewed: 7363
Favorites: 3 [view]
Points: 114
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
I have been practicing my inflight shots, and I felt like I was improving somewhat. I decided to attempt to raise the bar so to speak, and challenge myself. That was a big mistake!! I bit off a little more than I could chew trying to get a good shot on these guys. They are small, lightning fast, and the most acrobatic birds to watch. Finally got an acceptable image when the one swallow sat on the deck railing, and just let the other one harrass it with high speed passes. Even with 1/2000 shutter speed, it is hard to freeze these birds.

Barn Swallow - (Hirundo rustica)

True to their name, Barn Swallows typically nest inside a barn that is often associated with domestic animals. A barn usually supports a colony and the nests of six to eight pairs; on rare occasions, a barn is home to as many as 50 pairs. Nests are built with straw and mud and lined with feathers. These birds may take 1,000 trips to gather mud, which is worked into a pellet and carried to the nest site in the birds' bills. Barn Swallows usually build their nests close to the ceiling on a beam or tucked under the eaves.

Barn Swallows have the broadest range of any swallow species. In addition to North America, they are found throughout Europe and Asia and south to Burma, Israel, and Northern Africa. North American Barn Swallows breed from Alaska across Canada, throughout the United States, and south through central Mexico. With the proliferation of human-provided nesting sites, the North American Barn Swallow population has increased in most places during the 20th century. Numbers are especially up in the central and eastern United States. The species has also expanded its range southward in the Gulf States, first breeding on the Florida coast in 1946.

Description: Zigzagging low over fields in pursuit of flying insect prey, rarely gliding, the Barn Swallow is a highly distinctive bird. Adults have a long, deeply forked tail that distinguishes them from other swallows.

The upperparts, including the scapulars and wing coverts, are glossy blue. The rest of the wings and tail are black with a blue or blue-green gloss. On the underside of the tail are small white patches. The forehead, chin, and throat are deep rufous or chestnut colored and are separated from the lighter cinnamon-colored breast and belly by an incomplete blue breast-band. In worn plumage, the gloss of the upperparts fades and the underparts are paler. Both sexes look similar.

Photo taken at the Edwardsville Watershed Nature Center.

Information from Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology
Luc, marhowie, ehelgese, lovenature, Dave, tinman, dew77, samos, coasties, fiyo, Dando, wallhalla15, saguzar, greghume, ddg, ScottHale, pablominto, jmp, firelord, Leace, SunToucher, zenitlady, ellis49, loot, timonejoon, peter_stoeckl, metcher, CTP, touristdidi, marjan, jchemas, Silke, TBW, anavazao, radz, MarcLabbe has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • Luc Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1835 W: 301 N: 4287] (14767)
  • [2006-05-05 22:19]

Very good photo.
Excellent note.
Thank you Scott.

Wow you did good on the shot! Those critters are very difficult to even figure out where they are flying to, as they are such erratic flyers.

  • Great 
  • jchemas Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 553 W: 30 N: 749] (3396)
  • [2006-05-05 22:40]
  • [2]

What a great composition Scott.
Great colors and incredible details with excellent POV and BG.
TFS!!!!
Regards
JC

Nice capture! I feel your pain, I have been chasing finches around the last few days and it seems impossible to catch these little guys! You managed very nicely to freeze the action in a very fun scene. I always like pictures that tell a little bit of a story or show us a little bit about the behaviors of the beautiful animals we photograph. Great Job!

Hi Scott, what a great action shot. It must have been a challange to get. Well done. Janice/Canada

hello scott
splendid, the clearness of the swallow in flight is remarkable and both bird one a beautiful attitude.
congratulations
laurent

  • Great 
  • manyee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3089 W: 230 N: 6774] (23770)
  • [2006-05-06 2:05]
  • [2]

Very sharp image, Scott. A great feel of action.
Beautiful colors, and interesting scene.
Great work, and TFS. : )

  • Great 
  • Jannie Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 244 W: 6 N: 264] (1227)
  • [2006-05-06 3:27]
  • [2]

Great action shot Scott. Perfect timing.

Thumbs up

  • Great 
  • tinman Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 242 W: 7 N: 458] (2663)
  • [2006-05-06 3:44]
  • [2]

Top class shot and I am really jealous!!! Well done

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4432 W: 248 N: 4028] (13270)
  • [2006-05-06 4:45]
  • [2]

Hello Scott!
Excellent action capture.I liked moment you caught,POV,details and composition a lot.TFS...:-)

  • Great 
  • Graal Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Silver Note Writer [C: 751 W: 31 N: 20] (5100)
  • [2006-05-06 5:13]
  • [2]

Hi Scott,
good captured a moment, fantastic shot. I like it a lot. Good colours and DOF. Interesting note.
Rgs, Aleksander

  • Great 
  • samos Gold Star Critiquer [C: 79 W: 4 N: 2] (39)
  • [2006-05-06 5:45]
  • [2]

Hello Scott very nice capture colours sharpenss and DOF are superexcellent very good work thanks have a nice weekand regards Stavros

  • Great 
  • jossim Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1538 W: 5 N: 2240] (12636)
  • [2006-05-06 6:17]
  • [2]

Bonjour Scott!

Félicitations pour la capture de ce beau moment. Bravo pour la netteté et les couleurs justes.

Merci^.

joseph

Hello Scott,
Superb shot! Both swallows are freezed perfectly in a great poses. Very good details and colours. Nice lighting too.
I wonder if you had possibility to frame it a little tighter? I think there's a bit too much free space around swallows.
Anyway, great job on this one!

Hi Scott

Sharp detail, good clarity and well composed. Excellent POV, good DOF, great colour and good exposure. Perfect timing to top it off. Well done!

Hi Scott,
Wow, perfect timing to catch this excellent interaction..Luv the title - perfect :)
You have stopped the action very well @ 1/2000th. Sharp and clear, great detail, color and DOF..
Very well done mf!

  • Great 
  • SkyF Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2234 W: 188 N: 1912] (8073)
  • [2006-05-06 9:38]
  • [2]

Hi Scott,
what a cute shot here, lovely action and great details. Colors and POV are superp.
TFS..Sky

  • Great 
  • fiyo Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1053 W: 5 N: 3475] (15161)
  • [2006-05-06 13:19]
  • [2]

Hello Scott,
Wonderful capture.POV,colors,sharpness and composition are excellent.TFS

iki kuş arasındaki iletişim harika yansıtılmış..
bravo

Excellent!Regards!

  • Great 
  • Aramok Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 896 W: 101 N: 1501] (5166)
  • [2006-05-06 15:59]

Difficult or not you have pulled it off exceptionally well and I am really impressed. I know how hard this one would have been. It is a beautiful picture.

You should be pleased with yourself.

TFS

Emma

  • Great 
  • Dando Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor [C: 637 W: 32 N: 792] (3084)
  • [2006-05-06 16:10]
  • [2]

Hi Scott, great moment captured. Details are very clear and sharp with excellent colours. I think you have done very well just to capture these swallows and get them so sharp is excellent. TFS.
Dean.

  • Great 
  • osse Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 955 W: 0 N: 89] (7805)
  • [2006-05-06 17:09]
  • [2]

Hi Scott
Great composition and a great shot. Not much to say just WOW. Good note to.
Well done

osse

  • Great 
  • saguzar Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1095 W: 72 N: 1394] (7202)
  • [2006-05-06 18:53]
  • [2]

Hi Scott,
Another excellent pic, as usually you post.
Great details and action, colours are good, Bg as well, maybe is not the tone that would be the better for this bird, but sometimes we must take photos as nature decide.
Congratulations
Hernán

Hi Scott
Effective strategy for capturing the action, but it still required great reaction on your part. The fast shutter speed provides excellent detail on the attacker. I think a bit tighter crop might work well, but it's a brilliant shot.
Greg

  • Great 
  • carper Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1973 W: 119 N: 2582] (8439)
  • [2006-05-07 2:47]
  • [2]

wauw what a capture,
this is realy stuning, a fantastic capture with this speed, very good pov this is great, fantastic job.
gr. jaap

Congrats, this is a brilliant capture Scott. Excellent composition, fantastic sharpness, excelent colours, lighting and POV/DoF. As always, a great note too. Excellent work, very well done. Thank you for posting.
Gr.
Heinz

  • Great 
  • ddg Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 867 W: 24 N: 1008] (5507)
  • [2006-05-07 3:33]
  • [2]

Hello Scott, excellent shot with a perfect timing. Well caught this Swallows, congratulations, Didier.

Scott,
You raised the bar for yourself and you raised it very high! I think this shot is amazing! I like the way you froze the flying Barnswallow and got the sitting one nipping at him! The curvature of the in-flight bird is incredible! The one-legged stance is GREAT and the colors are vivid. Perfect isolation with the shallow DOF. High marks from me for this one buddy. This was NOT a big mistake because I LOVE it! It's hard enough to capture ONE b-swallow, let alone two! These things are so flighty and jumpy it's hard to get one to sit still! The only downside of this picture is, I wasn't there to give you a high-five when you saw it on your preview window on the 20D! Great notes, magnificent!
It's going straight to my favorites!
Scott

Hi Scott...
A funny interaction sooo well captured!
Superb freeze... Good colours and fine details in this simple but effective composition!
Greetings,
Pablo -

  • Great 
  • aido Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor [C: 1044 W: 156 N: 1218] (4046)
  • [2006-05-08 7:56]
  • [2]

Hi Scott,
Woow, fantastic shot! Absolutely perfect timing, all the technical stuff is spot-on. A perfect moment to capture, real interaction between these two in a split-second. I know you know this already but using fill-flash in FP mode (Nikon speak for using flash beyond the sync range) would help freeze the action a little more. This shot doesn't need that though, you've captured it perfectly. Fantastic work my friend!
Cheers,
Adrian

  • Great 
  • jmp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1659 W: 95 N: 2273] (8415)
  • [2006-05-08 13:17]
  • [2]

Hi Scott,
Very very good shot. You have stopped such a fast movement! Great composition too.
José M.

  • Great 
  • red45 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2636 W: 74 N: 9091] (31094)
  • [2006-05-08 17:02]
  • [2]

Hi Scott!
Lots of action here! Scene is very well captured, both birds are detailed, well visible and in interesting poses. Looks like fight will start in a split second :-)

Hi Scott,
Just pure respect, that's all what I can have for this photo. I am just amazed how you pulled this one off. I know these birds are as fast as lightning, so to get them as sharp as you did, you need to have a super control over the camera. I also like the pose of the one standing still on one leg.
TFS,
Niek

Hello Scott! Exquisite!!! If someone wanted proof that the Stealth bomber was designed to look like a swallow, here it is! Astounding capture at tremendous speed--just fantastic! TFS, Linda

  • Great 
  • ellis49 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3434 W: 331 N: 505] (2254)
  • [2006-05-09 23:12]
  • [2]

Hi Scott,
a ghreat inflight shot, these small birds are not easy to catch, I have try but without any succes.
Well composed, good details and nice colours.
Excellent work, my friend.

  • Great 
  • EOSF1 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1393 W: 119 N: 5267] (23955)
  • [2006-05-10 20:40]
  • [2]

Perfect timing Scott, an excellent picture. Sharp and full of action. Thanks.

Mario

  • Great 
  • loot Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5524 W: 722 N: 4163] (11276)
  • [2006-05-10 21:38]
  • [3]

Hi Scott
Seems like you like to take up a challenge and will not let go until you achieved your goal. I believe you can rightfully claim your victory. Having said that though, I am sure it is not the last of this we have seen.
You have done marvellous work here for it sure was no easy task. Excellent composition & POV with well frozen action at 1/2000, brilliant details captured by the appropriate DOF, and perfect lighting/exposure control. Great note too.
Exceptionally well done and TFS.
Regards
Loot

Hi Scott

Another perfect watch let me just watch your gallery and say nothing about DOF and POV and BG. perfect perfect.

many thanx
regards
timone

  • Great 
  • zeca Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 373 W: 14 N: 539] (2887)
  • [2006-05-13 0:32]
  • [2]

Very nice shot, Scott! Perfect timing and with excelent sharpness presenting nice colours and details.
Regards!
Zeca

Hi Scott,
exciting high speed encounter with excellent sharp result, showing a perfectly frozen motion in a very appealing and telling way. Your picture is very well composed - with enough open space around to create a scenery that looks like an open stage for these very dynamic and lively little actors. Superb contribution. Thank you!
Best regards,
Peter

This is an excellent capture freezing these birds in time with a perfect exposure showing great details and colors. Well done Scott. :)

Hi, Scott.
Very difficult shot. Still very well made. Like here composition and birds action.

  • Great 
  • CTP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 644 W: 6 N: 946] (2726)
  • [2006-05-18 14:44]

Hi Scott,
Excellent action shot my friend.
Timing,expressions,action,colors,pov,dof,sharpness,note and framing perfect.Well Done.TFS
Chris

Every year, swallows built a nest below my roof peak. I actually never saw them. they were so fast. I never expected them to look like this! This is a fantastic photo. beautful. They sure are cute!

Hello,

great capture. Very sharp picture. Knowing how fast these birds zoom by it's a wondefull picture.

greetings from Belgium
Luc

Excelent shot. Butiful birds in Hi speed fly. Bravo and thanks to share this butdy with us.
Marjan

  • Great 
  • Adam73 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 208 W: 5 N: 522] (2253)
  • [2006-06-20 12:00]

Nice action shot and POV. Looks like your at eye level with these guys. Moment frozen in time and the detail looks so sereal, almost looks fake. Im looking for the wires. LOL Very nice job.

great shot , good sharpness and composition
bravo

  • Great 
  • Silke Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 729 W: 98 N: 1707] (5458)
  • [2006-07-01 15:14]

Hi Scott
I know you don't need MY praises, but this is an absolutely stunning capture! What more can I possibly say? (Except to mark it as a favorite, if I may.)
Best regards
Silke

An excellent picture of two wonderful birds! Good timing! Great composition and superb colors. Sharpness and DOF also are very good. It's a pleasure to look at such outstanding work. Excellent job! TFS!

Regards,
Eddie

Great shot, Scott.
Undoubtedly you have expertise in this difficult matter of in flight shots.
Greetings
Annick

  • Great 
  • TBW Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 94 W: 28 N: 200] (846)
  • [2006-09-16 17:06]

WOW! Thats just an amazing picture! You got the shot at just the right time! Great details!

TFS
Torbjřrn

hi friend,
great moment with a beautiful dinamic shot! I like the balance in you image, the colors are really working well together! Take care Ana:)

  • Great 
  • radz Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 598 W: 11 N: 72] (436)
  • [2006-11-10 10:44]

Scott Love this shot,what a angry couple :D...Nice timeing,and liked POV.

I am still trying to get 1/4 decent picture of these guys

TFS

Marc

Great shot. I like the way the flying bird is frozen in motion.

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