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Inspiring and Supporting Photographers of Australian Birds

Silver Gull

Silver Gull (Image ID 40071)
Photographed byIan Wilson on Fri 23rd Nov, 2018 and uploaded on Fri 17th Apr, 2020 .
Resolution1800x1088
Viewed646
ID40071
CommentThere is always something interesting going on around seabird colonies. Pairs sharing a tender moment while renewing their bonds, courtship displays, nest building, birds flying in with full crops and gapes stuffed with glistening little fish, cute chicks and dishevelled dozy fledglings, patient partners waiting to change-over parenting duties, squabbles between nesting birds, and the attendant coterie of scavengers and thieves. Then there is the deafening noise and the smell… Life and death dramas occur regularly like the one captured in this image. The story is all too obvious; an inattentive noddy has allowed a gull to steal an egg and fly the short distance to the beach where it is mobbed by a throng of thieves all eager to feast on the protein-rich yellow yolk. The composition focuses attention on the fate of the egg and the soft light has allowed the unfolding drama to be captured free from the intrusion of harsh shadows and the technical challenges of a high dynamic range scene. The image evokes an extra dimension, a subconscious sound-scape dominated by the excited harsh squeal of the gulls as they jostle in the contest for a share of the prize.
EquipmentCanon 5Ds + 400 mm f/4 DO II + 1.4x III extender, hand-held.
Manual, spot metering, AI Servo AF with 4-pt expansion, f/5.6, 1/4000 sec, ISO 800.
Processed using DPP4 and PSE14 with Neat Image plug-in.
LocationMichaelmas Cay, Queensland
Keywordsfeeding/with prey, adult
This image was selected as a Moderator’s Pick.
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