Part 2 (albeit not in temporal order) of a visit to the Scottish highlands a couple weeks ago...
With limited time and even less local knowledge, I had tried to organize a local guide or two a week before leaving. Not surprisingly, the "big guys" were busy, but I was referred to Philip Price, a young (by my standards) photographer and wildlife enthusiast who lives on the banks of Loch Awe. Philip had spent a couple weeks previously, scouting places to put up a hide to watch the black grouse lek, and had located a nice spot on the lands of a local sheepherder.
We met a little before 4 AM (a challenge given that I had stayed the previous night in Oban and sampled the local malt), hiked through the neighbor's sheep pasture, crawled into the hide, and waited. Ironically (for FM), one of the most impressive aspects of the black grouse lek is the auditory experience. Philip had gotten the hide right in the middle of a dozen or so males (we didn't see a single female), and both the challenge and the lek itself have distinctive and wonderful sounds.
My biggest regret was not bringing a lens shorter than 500; between having too much reach and too small a hide, I was only able to capture one bird at a time. Still, you may be able to appreciate the intensity (and intent) of these beautiful birds.
Thanks for looking. (Oh, and, as usual, all advice/criticism/nits greatly appreciated).
Greg
A bit off focus but you get the idea
Looking for an opponent
Actively engaged
We were not the only mammals curious about what was going on
Greg,
I really love these images. The grouse turning back to look w/ its tail fanned is a wonderful composition.
Ever since I photographed sharp-tailed grouse in 2007, I've been on a mission to get into some blinds and capture the magic of a lek. For those who have not done this, they can't imagine the auditory and visual spectacle that it is.
My recent experience with the prairie chickens now has me on the hunt for a chance to photograph both sage and spruce grouse... such interesting birds!
Love the shots, looks like I need to put Scotland and the black grouse on my short list too
cheers,
bruce
Having too much reach is usually an uncommon thing in bird photography nevertheless you captured some very nice images.
I have visited Scotland several times and yet to see a black grouse
I believe this is the first time I see one of these birds, Greg.
I like the depth and richness of the blue in this bird, while the red crown looks like a cherry on top of the cake, or a "ponpon".
The low angle create a nice isolation of the bird and makes the bird stand out.
I like the pose in #5, but my favorite is last one.
The sheep shot is technically very interesting. Using (either intentionally or not) the vegetation close to camera can provide a very painterly look, almost diffusing the entire subject and adding a nice feel.
May be a sheep it is not the best subject but I've tried a few times to get that effect but it is harder than I thought.
You did good
Socrate
Super work Greg. I was looking at the technical details on these and it shows just how far you pushed gear/yourself to create these fabulous images. The colors are wonderful, the poses are eye grabbing. 2 knocked my shoes off, that is one rich image. 3 though chopped works really well. 5 is super, I might crop this a bit differently, more room right sort of thing but centered works pretty well. I'm a sucker for well done farm animals, I love the sheep. Sure it would look better without the adornments but the shot is REALLY nice. Love the effect.
You wanted crits but I'm not good enough to tell you these need improvement!
