Vertical Take-Off (parrot-style)

[David Berry]

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Little Corella : Limosa lapponica
Brisbane Hinterland, SE Queensland​

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[Charles Loy]

Cool photo, flip it 180*

 

[Callie]

David, Love Aussie birds, these guys especially. Have many many happy images of these guys from Gold Coast. This one looks like its fallen out of the tree where it was swaying!

 

[K9Kirk]

Excellent capture, David.

 

[Woodyg3]

That's great

 

[Steve]

That's cool!

 

[David Berry]

This one looks like its fallen out of the tree where it was swaying!

Exactly so, Callie!

This bird-on-a-stick photo was taken five seconds — thank you metadata! — before the VTO image above. It shows the corella hanging by its two front left toes (two forward, two back in parrots).

The parrot was about twenty-five metres from the ground; it simply let go, gained speed, and pulled out of the dive long before being in danger. Cue memories of deliberating stalling light aircraft (in training!) to make them plummet straight down — I'll guess that there are quite a few BCG members who've learned how to get out of that predicament.

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[Callie]

David, thanks! Yes I have watched them doing this, and shooting them too - so nice!
I love your Oz birds.
I have this wish-list to shoot a Pink Cockatoo/Major Mitchell's in flight - hope to find a site where they will come in to drink in the morning or late afternoon. Only ever seen them in captivity.
Going to the Outback - Roma - for 10 weeks DV this year. Know there is Pink Cockatoo @Bowra, but it is nearly 400 km from Roma. Cannot find a site nearer so far, but I keep googling.

 

[David Berry]

Cool photo, flip it 180*

Note the tail bent 90º. I wonder why: to act a speed brake, to steer out of the dive… or just chance?

I wish I knew more about the 'mechanics' (bet that's not the correct word!) of how birds fly.

More BIF photos are needed, especially with a camera featuring pre-capture: I'm saving already!

… David

 

[JAS]

Beautiful capture and presentation! The background really adds to the image.

 

[David Berry]

Beautiful capture and presentation! The background really adds to the image.

Jas, the Little Corella's choice of tree was fortuitous.

As you can see in the second photo, this eucalypt * has long, thin leaves with a tendency to droop. That made the foliage perfect for a vertical blur… and, probably, the opposite for a conventional horizontal movement BIF image.

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* eucalypt or gum tree : everyday non-botanical name for any of three genera — Angophora, Corymbia, Eucalyptus.

 

[David Berry]

Cool photo, flip it 180*!

Charles, you've got me wondering how to do it.

Flipping everything would be easy: I've done it already by turning my phone (laid flat) so it faces the other way. Flipping the subject only (with trees remaining the right-way-up, as is their wont) would be a challenge.

And then there'd be the problem of the corella's tail being in speed brake position with the bird imitating a space launch! AI to the rescue? (Oh, no… better not even think of that!)

… David