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Uploaded: January 04, 2006 06:41:00

Description

As morning breaks and the fog lifts, this Ding Darling Roseatte Spoonbill takes first flight of the New Year, January 1, 2006. Canon 600 w 1.4 xt., 550 flash with better beamer at -1.00 fc for fill. ISO 800 - love my Canon 20D - minimal noise reduction in the background with Photoshop CS. NOTE - Ding Darling in Sanibel, Florida is alive with Roseattes, Reddish Egrets, White Pelicans, different shore birds, etc., etc., etc.....

Comments

Darold W. Kaestner January 04, 2006

Very nicely done! Really like the colors... I have to agree, the 20D is a excellent camera!
Dan K. #369082

Navin Talwar January 04, 2006

Reflection and the composition both excellent. #2251572

Fax Sinclair level-deluxe January 04, 2006

This is crazy good! #2251588

Crystal E. Berryman level-addict January 04, 2006

The photo is a "silent beauty." You can hear the silence. Truly a moment in time.
Chris
#2252036

Tamera S. Phillips January 04, 2006

Just a beautiful shot. Love the colors. #2252067

Ronald Balthazor January 04, 2006

Amazing capture.
How far are you reaching with your better beamer? #2252806

Wende Trew January 04, 2006

This is a totally amazing image!! Fantastic detail!! #2253049

Janine Russell level-deluxe January 05, 2006

Dick and Sara, awesome composition, colors, clarity and detail. #2253861

Sara And Dick level-addict January 05, 2006

Dan, Navin, Fax, Crystal, Tamera, Ronald, Wende and Janine - We can't thank you enough for your words of encouragement! Your praise is very appreciated and after viewing your websites we doubly feel honored! We had the greatest time over at Sanibel (Ding Darling Wildlife Reserve) shooting these roseatte spoonbills. For a while they were taking off, landing, preening, in a feeding frenzy - we could not shoot fast enough. The secret is to get there in early morning (sunrise - but they open at 7:30) with low tide cause they will be out feeding on the flats. We hope to be going there again this weekend, but we are getting a cold spell with freezing weather... But we hope that we will still have the great photo ops we had last weekend. Thanks again and have a wonderfully beautiful and safe 2006!! Dick & Sara #2256375

Corinne M. Thompson January 13, 2006

Very beautiful capture! #2285448

Sara And Dick level-addict January 17, 2006

Corinne, Thank you for your kind comments! We made it back to Ding this weekend, the weather was bleak (cold and windy), but we managed to meet some very interesting people, and get some good shots too!!! All in all, we must say, we had a great time! Thanks again for your comments - Dick & Sara #2299632

Nicole Kessel January 28, 2006

WOW! Awesome capture!! #2350252

Donna W. Neal February 21, 2006

Congratulations on a well deserved finalist Dick and Sara (not sure who took the shot) #2444482

Wayne T. Fisk February 21, 2006

Totally astounding! And you got the reflection and caught him at warp speed!
Congrats!
Wayne #2446524

James Reininger February 21, 2006

Wow!!! #2447488

Anita Taylor February 21, 2006

Lovely color and capture of flight! Congratulations on getting finalist! #2450005

Corinne M. Thompson February 21, 2006

Congrats to you both on this wonderful Finalist! :) #2450173

February 22, 2006

Very graceful! #2451522

Cindy Cone February 24, 2006

Congrats on this gorgeous finalist! It's a great capture of the spoonbill in flight with the reflection. Very well done! #2463368

Deborah Sandidge February 25, 2006

Exquisite capture and reflection, congratulations Dick and Sara on this stunning winner! #2466754

Mike F. Anderson February 25, 2006

Just Excellent!!! Congratulations on well deserved win. #2466985

Isabel L February 25, 2006

This is such an intersting shot!! Congratulations! #2467089

Jim Kinnunen level-classic February 25, 2006

Awesome image...congratulations!!! #2468400

Donna La Mattino Pagakis February 25, 2006

Wow, fabulous winner!! Congratulations!! #2468444

Corinne M. Thompson February 25, 2006

A well deserved win...Congrats :) #2468744

Paula Kelly February 26, 2006

congratulations... excelllent #2469418

Donna W. Neal February 26, 2006

Congratulations on this outstanding winner

I love my 20D also #2469876

Nan Fischer February 26, 2006

Wow. Beautiful bird, excellent shot! Congratulations on your win! #2470071

Leanne M.E. Boyd February 26, 2006

Gorgeous shot, congratulations on your win! #2470686

Bill Houghton February 26, 2006

This is really beautiful. Great work. Where in Sanibel is this place locates. Thanks, Bill #2471292

Sara And Dick level-addict February 26, 2006

To all who have commented to us since 1/28/06 we can't thank you enough. We have tried a couple of times to expressed our gratitude but the reply would not go through.... Once again, thank you for expressing your appreciation of one of my favorite images. Dick Fortune #2471490

Graeme yew Chow February 26, 2006

Excellent shot and congratulation ,, Dick. #2472616

Allan L. Whitehead February 27, 2006

Dado, congratulations on this magnificent win in last month's contest in the 'Animals' category. It is truly, richly deserved, my very dear friend - your good friend, Allan #2473312

Guy D. Biechele level-classic February 27, 2006

Spectacular capture!! Congratulations on your win. #2475135

Sara And Dick level-addict February 28, 2006

Graeme, Allan and Guy - Thank you so much for your remarks on our "Rose". Sara and I hope to go back to Ding Darling soon and hope to come back with more images of these spectacular birds! Thanks again... #2480616

Cathy M. Gromball March 21, 2006

Congratulations on your Second Place win, Dick & Sara!

Cathy :) #2559135

Sara And Dick level-addict April 24, 2006

Cathy, we are so sorry for the delay in answering you - we would hate not getting a response on our comments. Please accept our apologies for our delay. We visited Ding Darling NWR New Year's Day only to catch massive ground fog where you could not see 150 feet in front of you. It took us forever getting there due to the foggy and hazardous conditions. Sara and I thought the trip would be wasted because we couldn't see any birds for water at the preserve due to the fog. Miraculously at about 8:30 - 9:00 a.m. the fog started to lift which, like squatting down and viewing underneath a table, we were able to see bird activity flying low to the water as they too needed to see in flight. This roseate flying below the fog bank was so close to the water that his/her reflection was caught in multiple frames. There was quiet a bit of grain since I was shooting at 800 ISO, necessary due to the low light. This picture sold for $475.00 at the CROW (Center for Rehabilitation of Wildlife) auction in Sanibel, at their annual fund raiser. We were happy to donate it and 8 others of our images for this worthwhile cause. Again, Cathy, thank you for your kind words and once again forgive our delay... Dick #2681955

Crystal E. Berryman level-addict April 24, 2006

Dick,
As I said before...beautiful. Just beautiful. I was speechless when I first saw it. Thank you for sharing it. Be safe. Chris :) #2681980

Debbie Del Tejo April 25, 2006

WOW, this one passed me by since in January I did not have computer..I just caught it and my mouth dropped. I AM SPEECHELSS!!!! ( for a change!)
WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW #2684836

Sara And Dick level-addict April 25, 2006

Crystal & Debbie - thank you for your most generous comments!!!! They truly are appreciated. Sara and I wish that everyone could have the chance to see these unusually beautiful birds at least once in their lives - we see them now on weekends at Everglades National Park, but from a distance. There is an island where they have their rookery, but even my 600 with a 1.4Xt is not enough to get this type of shot(or anywhere near it). We were blessed with the opportunity to capture the spoonbills so close that they were on ocassion closer than 18 feet, which meant I could only look at them and not focus. On one ocassion I took my tripod and camera back about 20 feet so as to be able to keep shooting head shots and profiles as they swept their beaks in the shallow waters looking for food. Again thank you for your wonderful comments!!! Dick & Sara #2688231

Baqer Mohd Jawad September 13, 2006

Great capture for this Spoonbill .. love it ! #3304661

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