Pied Wagtail at Falmer Church

By Paul Cecil | Published October 20, 2011

I was really pleased to get these shots today. Pied wagtails are wonderfully agile as they twist and turn to catch insects on the wing. The light was great and this young wagtail is clearly already highly expert at its trade.

In this first shot it's eyeing up a hoverfly…

A moment later!

Now for some of the moves. First, the dive…

The leap…

The glide…

The stall…

And the getaway…

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Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 7D EF and 400mm f/5.6L USM lens.

This entry was posted in Birds and tagged .

26 Comments

  1. gdare October 21, 2011 at 6:10 am #

    Great shots, Words!

  2. RachelJuleiane October 21, 2011 at 8:10 am #

    :hat: these bird series is truly amazing, and you've got really fast fingers, steady hands and alert eyes to capture the movements. :up:

  3. anonymous October 21, 2011 at 8:10 am #

    Michael writes:

    Fantastic, Paul!

  4. serola October 21, 2011 at 8:10 am #

    Oh yes! Excellent shots!

  5. anonymous October 21, 2011 at 11:10 am #

    Mike Berwick writes:

    Love wagtails! Excellent shots.

  6. cakkleberrylane October 21, 2011 at 9:10 pm #

    Wonderful shots! Very rewarding, I'm sure!

  7. Words October 21, 2011 at 9:10 pm #

    Michael, thanks. I always enjoy watching these feisty little birds.

  8. Words October 21, 2011 at 9:10 pm #

    Rachel, thanks. The truth is I take a lot of photos while they are just sitting doing nothing, and then hope I capture the movement when it happens.

  9. Words October 21, 2011 at 9:10 pm #

    Darko, thanks!

  10. Words October 21, 2011 at 9:10 pm #

    Sami, thanks!

  11. Words October 21, 2011 at 10:10 pm #

    Mike, thanks!

  12. Words October 21, 2011 at 10:10 pm #

    Erwin, thanks!

  13. Words October 21, 2011 at 10:10 pm #

    Lois, thanks!

  14. ICU109 October 23, 2011 at 11:10 pm #

    you grabbed enough shots that one can see the sequence!

  15. Words October 23, 2011 at 11:10 pm #

    Kathy, yes it got its hoverfly. They are brilliant at catching flies on the wing. They sit and watch, and then leap into the air. They rarely miss. :chef:

  16. ICU109 October 23, 2011 at 11:10 pm #

    XCELLLLLLent shots I must say! now…..did the bird get the hoverfly reward? I am assuming it is an insect it was after. Hope so after all that choreography it went through for out enjoyment! What a beautiful set! Thank you.

  17. SittingFox October 24, 2011 at 8:10 pm #

    Wow, that wagtail is well concealed in the top photo! Obviously their natural habitat is flint walls 😉

  18. Words October 24, 2011 at 9:10 pm #

    Adele, LOL! They are very good at hiding though, especially when they are ground feeding.

  19. ICU109 October 25, 2011 at 2:10 am #

    love the dive and the stall best. you have a fast trigger finger!

  20. derWandersmann October 25, 2011 at 2:10 am #

    LOL … fun shots!
    (Pssst! It helps if you set your release mode to "burst" … and have a big memory card!)

  21. Words October 25, 2011 at 9:10 pm #

    dW, good suggestion 😉

  22. Words October 25, 2011 at 9:10 pm #

    Kathy, it's more point and press until the buffer fills up. I can get about 15 frames in 2 seconds.

  23. ICU109 November 11, 2011 at 6:11 am #

    WOW!!! that's like a tommy gun!!!

  24. Words November 12, 2011 at 12:11 pm #

    It does rattle a bit!

  25. ICU109 November 16, 2011 at 5:11 am #

    😀

  26. Wulpen October 19, 2012 at 8:10 pm #

    Excellent shots :up: