Nest building with Spanish Moss- STK


Posted by AlexC on Wed Aug 27, 2003 11:06 am

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Swallow Tailed Kite

For the few days that they stayed around, they were busy nest building, I suspect one of many nests they started but never finished, A few days later they were gone, not a trace of them !!, There are a few places around Miami they like, specially places with tall Swiss pines around!!
He/She will come swoop down between the branches and come out the other end with moss on her talons, this was done without stopping and on the wing, then, they will circle once or twice and then deposit the nesting material on the nest, the bird sitting on the nest proceeded to arrange the material in place!!
D1x, Raw format, Lens=400mm afs-f/2.8, Aperture priority, Centered weighted metering, 1/6400sec-f/2.8, EV=0, ISO 200, Auto WB, No flash!!
Any and all comments welcome!!
Congrats!!
[b]Alex Calzadilla[/b]
[b]Miami, Florida[/b]
[b]NSN-0024[/b]
"At the feast of ego everyone leaves hungry." - Bentley's House of Coffee and Tea, Tucson, AZ

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by Sandy Mossberg on Wed Aug 27, 2003 11:11 am
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Great shot, Alex. These STKs fly as well as any bird I've ever seen.
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by Alan Melle on Wed Aug 27, 2003 11:55 am
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Someday I'd love to even see a STK let alone be able to photograph one as beautiful as this. Thanks
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by Mike Wilson on Wed Aug 27, 2003 1:06 pm
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Excellent shot with the moss. Love the diagonal and look toward the photon capturing device. I would love to see this bird. I'm so Jealous! :shock:
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by Bob Ettinger on Wed Aug 27, 2003 1:22 pm
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Alex,

Let's see. exposure right on, lighting on the bird good, white not blown out, moss in the talons, nice diagonal on the wings, dettail under the wings, nice background. Now let's see what is left to pick on -- hmm nothing :D :D :D :D
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by chew on Wed Aug 27, 2003 1:33 pm
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Beautiful image. Nice narrative. Enjoy your upcoming trip. Shoot lots.
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by Alan Murphy on Wed Aug 27, 2003 1:50 pm
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Incredible photo.
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by Juan A. Pons on Wed Aug 27, 2003 2:28 pm
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Great STK photo. We have some that travel as far as eastern NC, but I have not been able to get close enough to get an image anywhere near as good as this.
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by Carol Clarke on Wed Aug 27, 2003 3:01 pm
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What a beauty Alex! I love the diagonal lines in this image and the detail and techs are superb!!

8)
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by E.J. Peiker on Wed Aug 27, 2003 3:33 pm
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When I first pulled this up, I thought this Kite was, ahem, ah releasing waste, but on closer inspection that isn't the case :mrgreen:

Very nice shot of a beautiful bird.
 

by Dennis Olivero on Wed Aug 27, 2003 4:03 pm
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Splendid even without the moss..excellent work Alex..
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by Jill on Wed Aug 27, 2003 4:48 pm
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Alex, Just a perfect shot of my favorite bird of prey. I'll forever love this image as it's a reminder of the STK nest I monitored prior to Hurricane Andrew. Now go get some Eagles for Tony! Have a blast, my friend. :D
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by DC on Wed Aug 27, 2003 5:14 pm
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Excellent shot Alex. I've not seen one of these before, but I'd like to. Congrats
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by Larsen on Wed Aug 27, 2003 5:55 pm
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Beautiful. This guy looks so aerodynamic.
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by Jim Urbach on Wed Aug 27, 2003 6:06 pm
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Alex, Beautiful STK. Very jealous. I saw a pair a few weeks ago just as close but my equipment was a putter. My golfing buddies wil not let me take a camera along.

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by Steve Sage on Wed Aug 27, 2003 6:19 pm
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Great flight shot of a very cool bird. FWIW, spanish moss is not a moss. Everyone knows that tidbit, right? I have only seen this bird in flight and too far to shoot.
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by AlexC on Wed Aug 27, 2003 6:28 pm
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Steve wrote:
FWIW, spanish moss is not a moss. Everyone knows that tidbit, right?

An article by Dennis Adams:
Tillandsia usneoides is not a true moss and is unrelated to the plants of the class Musci (or Bryopsida), to which the genus Sphagnum (mosses that form peat) belongs. Spanish Moss and the pineapple (Ananas comosus) belong to division Magnoliophyta , class Liliopsida, order Bromeliales, and to the plant family Bromeliacae . Within the one-family order of Bromeliales, all the species but one are native to tropical America and the West Indies: the exception is a species of the genus Pitcairnia, which is native to Africa.
[b]Alex Calzadilla[/b]
[b]Miami, Florida[/b]
[b]NSN-0024[/b]
"At the feast of ego everyone leaves hungry." - Bentley's House of Coffee and Tea, Tucson, AZ
 

by LHays on Wed Aug 27, 2003 7:23 pm
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Alex
An excellent flight shot....and with the bonus of the Spanish moss. Truly a remarkable shot. You always know your subjects.....and what they carry. May you have a safe and productive trip to Alaska.
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by Bruce Sherman on Wed Aug 27, 2003 7:40 pm
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Alex,
Wonderful shot. I agree with Sandy. These guys are very graceful on the wing, and your shot shows that very well.
 

by Andrew Mc on Thu Aug 28, 2003 2:42 am
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Beautiful looking bird Alex, and a great capture to boot. Thanks for sharing the nesting behaviour too :).
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