Taking off 1

Posted by amy (Nanaimo, BC, Canada) on 24 August 2007 in Animal & Insect and Portfolio.

Like I said yesterday, the loon is like a 747 when taking to flight. They run along the surface of the water and flap their wings madly. All is cacophony of splashing water as their feet and wings break the surface of the water in their mad dash to take off. A sight to behold. And I'm more than a bit pleased that after 5 days of just missing them taking off (usually I'd just left the lake and was in the cabin when I'd here their flapping wings and feet hitting the water... and me cursing in a very unlady like way..) I was finally able to capture their mad cap take off.

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Comments (13)

Stunner from Kingston, Jamaica

Wonderful capture Amy! I am yet to get one of these shots.

24 Aug 2007 5:47am

@Stunner: Hey Stunner!!! Thanks so much... and again.. so glad you made it through Dean.

ColNed Pictures from Amersfoort, Netherlands

Great capture, you where right, the take of is great !

24 Aug 2007 10:08am

@ColNed Pictures: I'm so glad my build up wasn't disappointing!! Thanks ColNed! It truly was a sight to behold.

Nick Passantino from Bronx, United States

great panorama crop.. awesome shot.

24 Aug 2007 1:36pm

@Nick Passantino: Thanks Nick!! ... it was truly awesome to see these loons take off from the lake.

Roberta from Rocky Mountain House, Canada

Nice series of bird shots. Looks like you had some fun on holidays!

24 Aug 2007 1:39pm

@Roberta: Hey Roberta!! I did have a great time... too much food, too much booze, not enough sleep, and laughed 'till I cried.

Kaushal from Groningen, Netherlands

Wow! This must be a wonderful sight to see them in real...
Very well captured as well...really like the splashes of the water behind them ...pretty tricky to get these shots right! Good job!

24 Aug 2007 2:55pm

@Kaushal: Hey there Kaushal!! It's truly an amazing sight to these "jumbo's" take off. And I'm beyond tickled that I managed to freeze that moment in time. Thanks for the lovely comment!!

Michael Rawluk from Prince George, Canada

Loons never seem to take off close enough to photograph. They usually slip under the water and appear a kilometre away.
Terrific shot.

24 Aug 2007 3:37pm

@Michael Rawluk: That is too true Michael! It's amazing how far they travel underwater before they do finally pop up a gajillion miles away from you!! LOL And I'm sure the only reason I got these shots was that they were startled while they were relatively close to me and the shore. Providence does smile down upon me occasionally ;-) Thanks so much, eh?!!!

yiannis krikis from thessaloniki, Greece

well come with your interesting wild life images - I went to Berlin and you will see a lot of urban images - have a nice autumn

24 Aug 2007 4:48pm

@yiannis krikis: Hey yiannis!! Welcome back to you as well. Hope your trip was as great as mine. Really looking forward to your new stuff!!! Thanks for taking some time to come for a visit ;-)

Lost Valley from Kamloops, Canada

Hi Amy! I have tried to take this shot many times and failed to do so! You captured it wonderfully!!

24 Aug 2007 10:02pm

@Lost Valley: Thanks so much!! I guess you could say I had lots of practice with all the shots I did miss!! LOL

bronzebilly u.k. from cardiff, United Kingdom

blimey cutes!!--your patience paid off in the end--ace capture- very sharp image for a difficult subject it seems
I'll wager you can hear all that flappin' and splashin'(poet alert) each time you view this baby--great memories and stuff--billypoet;-))

24 Aug 2007 10:49pm

@bronzebilly u.k.: Oh such great memories... me cursing very unlady like when I'd be in the cabin and hearing these little buggers taking off just minutes after I left the beach!!!! Thanks my almost poet-and-didn't-know-it-billy!!

MaryB from Staffordshire, United Kingdom

A wonderful capture Amy, I always seem to miss the take off and the landing of birds, it's so frustraiting, bravo on getting this one :)

24 Aug 2007 11:32pm

@MaryB: I feel your pain Mary!! LOL This time all I did was have my camera set and ready to hand then just zoned out. As soon as these guys started flapping I was ready... although it did take a week to be in the right place at the right time!!! LOL Thanks so much Mary!!

Viewfinder from Bradenton, United States

What a sight! I'd love to witness this in person one day; so until I do, your great pix of take-off time will be the image I carry around. Loons are special birds, in my thinking.

25 Aug 2007 2:12am

@Viewfinder: That's a very sweet thing to say!! Thank you ... and I'm most glad I was lucky enough to get this to share. And yes the loon is a very special bird... most avid photographers here in Canada try to get THE picture of a loon.

Jen from Alpharetta, United States

All of these are so incredible Amy!!!
I would have loved to have seen this in person!

25 Aug 2007 12:16pm

@Jen: I really wish you could have seen it too... then that would've meant we were sitting on that beach together!!

CATCHLIGHT from Reading, United Kingdom

Amy, glad you're back and hope you had a goodie...This is the one for me..here they are called Great Northern Divers, but that call!!!......it is a memory from my childhood that will live with me forever...Ludwig Kock in the 30's recording birds with miles of microphone cables and a wax disk...not that I'm any way near that old!!!!.....

27 Aug 2007 5:51pm

@CATCHLIGHT: Hey Catchlight!! You know, I think I may be in agreement with you that this is the best of the group. That's quite interesting about Ludwig Kock recording the calls... I take it there was a current bush close by to plug into... hee hee hee..

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Nikon D70
1/800 second
F/9.0
ISO 200
450 mm (35mm equiv.)