The southern petrel is a massive bird with a massive beak. The wingspan is nearly 7 feet, but it’s that very weird and dense beak that had me fascinated as I got a close up look at these guys nesting on Carcass Island in the Falkland Islands. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/500th of a second
Hey Rick, no tripod. I usually only use my tripod for landscape shots. With the 200-400mm I can reliably hand hold down to 1/15th of a second (not always, but usually if the subject isn’t moving of course). In this case, I think I was on the ground, so getting extra support that way.
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The southern petrel is a massive bird with a massive beak. The wingspan is nearly 7 feet, but it’s that very weird and dense beak that had me fascinated as I got a close up look at these guys nesting on Carcass Island in the Falkland Islands.
Great detail. Were you on a tripod? And you’re right; that’s quite a bill.
Hey Rick, no tripod. I usually only use my tripod for landscape shots. With the 200-400mm I can reliably hand hold down to 1/15th of a second (not always, but usually if the subject isn’t moving of course). In this case, I think I was on the ground, so getting extra support that way.
Quite a unique. Beak must serve some purpose for this large bird
I’m not sure. They are seafaring birds, like the albatross, so must be built to snatch fish from the water.
—– Astride the waves you are
—– Custodian of all carrion
—– Pelagic giant .
Nice profile!
LOL. Looks like a nose on top of a beak! Thanks for capturing the unusual for us!
That it does. Either way, I wouldn’t want to be on the wrong end of it.
Thinking of drawings of extinct Dodo birds – their bills were a lot like that
Yes, I can see that.