Night heron ready for coronavirus pharyngeal swab – (Nycticorax nycticorax)

Night heron ready for coronavirus pharyngeal swab – (Nycticorax nycticorax) - This photo of the night heron reminds me of the people we observe, with their mouths open, waiting to carry out the swab to search for the coronavirus . Nikon D850, Sigma supertele 300-800mm, f / 7.1, 1/1000 sec, ISO 64. Thanks for your comments.

Special night heron portrait, Giangiorgio! The bird seems alarmed. I've never seen such red eyes! Could this be due to food? Remarkable details of the pharynx, plumage ... I wonder what sound? Great captured! Bravo! Sincerely, Tatiana

Tatiana I am happy for your appreciation of this photo , thanks for your beautiful comment, the red eye is a characteristic of this heron, it is not due to particular feeding. ciao Giangiorgio

The feather details are amazing and the birds eye is perfectly clear, Giangiorgio. The background is smooth making for a great presentation of the bird. Excellent timing to capture this great pose. Beautifully done. Best regards, Paul.

Five minutes I was watching in awe! Pure perfection, technically and aesthetically! Complimenmti, Giangiorgio! PDE

Grazie mille Pierre for your generous comment, ciao Giangiorgio

Thank you Paul and Dana for your appreciation and great commentary of my photo, ciao Giangiorgio

Impressive tongue - and light, colors and sharpness of course. as always.

Philip I am glad you liked it, many thanks for your kind comment, ciao Giangiorgio

Hi Giangiorgio,

 

a spectacular portrait of this night heron! Not only is the opened beak with the totally visible pharynx proof of the right timing, the amount of detail and the well-controlled exposure of the bird against an even background make this image unique. Into my favorites! Kind regards, Vincent

Grazie mille Vincent for your appreciation and great commentary of my photo, I am happy you liked it, ciao Giangiorgio

Giangiorgio, this is superb work. The night heron's wide open mouth implies either of 2 things: (1) waiting for a fish or some other sort of meal; or (2) calling out to its mate. If (2) is correct, I can hear it from my office on the second floor of my house. PS - My office window is closed. I totally agree with all the previous comments, so I won't risk duplication. - - My best always, michael - - Ciao!

By the way, Giangiorgio, while admiring all the fine details in this picture, I also now notice that you inform us that it has been shot with a Sigma 300-800 mm lens. I have never heard of such a Sigma lens, where can I see more about it? Or is it a Sigma 150-600 together with an extender of some kind?

Michael I always appreciate your visit and your nice and detailed comments, glad you liked it, ciao Giangiorgio

Philip thank you so much for your nice words. The Sigma 300-800mm f / 5.6 is a fabulous lens that I purchased about 12 years ago. The Sigma 300-800mm f / 5.6 EX DG HSM is a super telephoto lens for FF and APS-C format, produced from 2005 to 2019 (discontinued). Contra, the weight about 6 kg, to be used only with a tripod or from the window of the car with a bean bag. You can see it in the photo on my profile. Recently I also purchased the Sigma Sport 150-600mm, much more manageable. ciao Giangiorgio

Incredible detail!

Thanks a lot Mike for your visit and kind comment, ciao Giangiorgio

Incredible fine detail. Just to get an idea, the heron was at what (estimated) distance and your fantastic sigma was at 800mm?

Congrats on another very nice picture and best regards. Wobby.

Dear Wobby, thank you for your visit and the nice comment. The photo was taken from inside my car, the heron landed on the edge of a bridge a few meters away from me, I had to back off because the minimum focusing distance of 300-800mm is six meters. I was lucky with the lighting and the fact that he wasn't disturbed by the car in motion, ciao Giangiorgio

Thank you for your explanations. The 3 pictures posted are all of superb beauty and quality! Congrats, Wobby.

Many thanks Wobby for your visit and beautiful appreciated comment, glad you liked them, ciao Giangiorgio