Elegant Young Moorhen

The grey weather is still with us, but that doesn’t really bother juvenile moorhens too much. These are three photos taken yesterday and today of one of the youngsters at the edge of Falmer Pond. I love them at this very elegant stage in their development.

Juvenile moorhen

Juvenile moorhen

Juvenile moorhen

A nearby rat looks to see what all the fuss is about. It wasn’t impressed.

rat

Camera note: all photos taken with the Canon 7D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens.

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This Post Has 4 Comments

  1. derwandersmann

    29 May 2014

    You’re right, Words … they ARE elegant at this stage. Well, compared to comical, at least.
    The rat is what people photographers call a “candid”.

    Further remarks about keeping the long lens steady:
    You might try something as simple as a shoulder mount for the cam; I use the term in deference to the British horror at anything reminiscent of firearms; over here, we call it a shoulder stock or gunstock mount. The cheapest one I’ve found is called “Stedi-Stock”, and costs about $30US. Depending on your budget, you can spend close to $1,000US. That’s a lot. Depending on your inclinations, you can make your own, even going so far as purchasing a surplus military rifle stock as a base. I have seen good ones and bad ones.
    I would not recommend anything ground-based, like a monopod or tripod … it’s just not mobile enough (If you can believe it, some hunters over here are trying such things on their rifles. It would be better to learn to shoot, in my opinion).
    That elastic binocular “harness” that I use for my little Oly ultra-zoom would help, but you’d need elastic a deal stronger than the over-the-counter harness that I have; those top-grade cams and long lenses are heavy.

    1. Words

      31 May 2014

      dW, I’ve thought about shoulder rests, but generally the 400mm lenses are fine and I can usually find support if I need it. Even leaning against a tree can make a big difference in woodland. It might be different with a 500mm or longer, due to the weight.
      I’ve got a monopod but don’t use it much and a tripod is too much hassle if I’m moving around.

  2. Darko

    31 May 2014

    Elegant but still kind of odd 😀

    1. Words

      31 May 2014

      Darko, odd is good 😉

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