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Inspiring and Supporting Photographers of Australian Birds

Australian Pelican

Australian Pelican (Image ID 43840)
Photographed byJim Schultz on Sun 6th Dec, 2020 and uploaded on Sat 12th Dec, 2020 .
Resolution1800x1200
Viewed917
ID43840
CommentI was standing quietly under a tree photographing a flock of approximately 60 Australian Pelicans resting in warm morning light at 06:15. The birds were standing quietly on a small peninsula during low tide at Harvey Estuary preening themselves, when something came by and stirred them up; or perhaps their jungle drums signalled a school of fish nearby, and they all flew off to feed. Having set up for a more or less stationery subject, I had little time to alter camera settings for birds setting off in flight. Still, as pelicans are relatively slow movers, I managed 5 or 6 captures, of which this is the better one. I believe this pelican is in breeding colours based on its vibrant yellow eye, its rose coloured bill and the blue stripe here. Island Point, Harvey Estuary.
EquipmentNikon D850 – DX Mode. GPS engaged
Nikkor AF-S 500mm f4G ED VR lens
Technique: Camera rig support: Gitzo GT3543XLS Tripod, Dietmar Nill gimbal tripod head; standing under tree at shoreline
Exposure Mode: MANUAL 1/2500 sec at f7.1; ISO-320. Metering Mode: Center-Weighted; Focus Mode: AF-C Low & AF Area Mode: Dynamic, 9 points. VR: Off
Nikon ViewNX-i for viewing and selecting files; Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw/CC 2020 for resizing and cropping to 138%, selective sharpening and general post-processing inclusive of removal of minute halos; Topaz Pro plug-ins DeNoise & Studio 2 were used for mild blanket sharpening and ‘fine noise’ control. ‘Australian Bird Guide 2019’ for species distribution confirmation and colour checks
LocationIsland Point, Harvey Estuary, Western Australia
Keywordsin flight, adult
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