Courting II (Grebe)

Written by Webmaster Friday, 10 June 2011 00:00

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"In order to see birds it is necessary to become part of the silence." Robert Lynd

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Courting II: The Penguin dance (Podiceps cristatus; Grebe)

We were quite unprepared for it; we were lucky to witness it. At some stage during the courting period, prior to laying the eggs, the pair perfoms what is known as 'The Penguin Dance'. The two birds dive and pick weeds off the bottom of the lake. They then meet up and, lifting their bodies out of the water, they dance in front of each other, rythmically, shaking the weeds like a pendulum. This lasted for at least half an hour while we were there; it was absolutely amazing to see. This ritual confirms the bond between the pair which subsequently start constructing their nest.

Photos by Marina Parha and George J. Reclos

Shooting Data:

1. Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikkor AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/2.8D IF-ED
Sensitivity: ISO 640
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/1000 - f/10, Shutter priority
Flash: none
Image: NEF, edited in Photoshop CS4, levels adjusted, sharpening added, saved as JPEG and resized.

2. Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: Nikkor AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/2.8D IF-ED + Kenco Teleplus Pro 300 1.7x teleconverter
Sensitivity: ISO 1600
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/1600 - f/7.1, Shutter priority
Flash: none
Image: NEF, edited in Photoshop CS4, levels adjusted, sharpening added, saved as JPEG and resized.

3. Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikkor AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/2.8D IF-ED
Sensitivity: ISO 640
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/1000 - f/9, Shutter priority
Flash: none
Image: NEF, edited in Photoshop CS4, levels adjusted, sharpening added, saved as JPEG and resized.

4. Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: Nikkor AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/2.8D IF-ED + Kenco Teleplus Pro 300 1.7x teleconverter
Sensitivity: ISO 1600
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/1600 - f/7.1, Shutter priority
Flash: none
Image: NEF, edited in Photoshop CS4, levels adjusted, sharpening added, saved as JPEG and resized.

 

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