Ibis

Plegadis falcinellus (common name: Glossy Ibis)

This is one of the strangest birds I have photographed. Not because of the shape or behavior but because of its color. The plumage will seem black and brown at first but then, depending on the direction of the sunlight, some metallic, shinning green hues become visible. Not very social with people it is rarely found in the open so I usually got the head of it in my shots. Unluckily, the only time I found it resting in the open was on a cloudy day.. so the green was not there. However, the conditions allowed for a very detailed picture of the bird which made me partially happy.

Photo by George J. Reclos

Shooting Data:

Camera: Nikon D2X
Lens: Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO 200
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/80 sec - f/8, Aperture priority mode
Flash: SB-800 in i-TTL mode
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS2, levels adjusted, smart sharpening added and resized.  

Eudocimus ruber (common name: Scarlet Ibis)

This bird comes to life when it opens its wings. The feathers on the upper side are a pale pink colour but on the lower side they show a bright red colouration which is really breathtaking. I had already noticed that the bird picked up something so I was sure it would fly back to its nest and so it did. I decided to press the button at the moment it landed before it started folding its wings - it is supposed to be the moment with the minimum wing movement. Unfortunately, there was no time to choose another angle which would have omitted the green pylon behind the bird.

Photo by John G. Reclos

Shooting Data:

Camera: Nikon Coolpix 5700
Lens: fixed @ 71.2 mm
Sensitivity: ISO100
Shutter speed: 1/536 sec @ f/4.2
Flash: None
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS, level adjustment, resized + USM added.