Shop millions of independent artists. Independent. Together.
Ottawa, Canada
$13.00
Title
Grebe Family
Artist
Robert McAlpine
Medium
Photograph
Description
Pied-billed Grebes are small pond-living migratory birds that are common in most areas of North America. They spend most of their time on the water and, since their lags are located far back on their bodies (easier for swimming) they are very awkward walking on land. Males and Females are indistinguishable and both sexes are equally active in caring for the babies. Nests are built in reeds along the shores of ponds and they are frequently seen swimming as a family unit with one or more of the youngsters catching a ride on the parents' back, as in this image.
THE STORY BEHIND THE PICTURE – In June 2010, I was spending a lot of time along the shore of a water overflow pond in an Eastern suburb of Ottawa, where there were a lot of shore birds, along with ducks, geese, herons and grebes nesting. Shore birds and grebes tend to be very shy, and it is only with a great deal of care and patience that you can get close enough to them to get a good picture. On this particular day, I was hidden in some reeds not far from a nest of pied-billed grebes, hoping to get an opportunity to photograph them. In reality, I had spent many days hiding out here hoping to get some family pictures, without much luck. I was equipped with a Nikon D700 full-frame camera with a Nikkor 300 mm, f/2.8 prime lens and a 2x teleconverter (an effective focal length of 600 mm). My camera and lens were mounted on a graphite tripod topped with a Jobu Gimbal head. The sun was shining and the weather was pleasant. I saw a family of grebes swimming around close to their nest and my heart pounded hard as they approached me, seemingly unaware of my presence. They swam right in front of me with one of the youngsters catching a ride on the back of one of the parents and the reflection in the water was perfect. I quickly snapped off a few pictures with a great deal of glee, and the family continued on their way, unaware of me. This was one of those fabulous moments when you realize you have gotten that one very special image that you will marvel over for years.
Featured in FAA Groups: "Nature Landmarks Landscapes Wildlife" - 2014-Aug-28.
Featured in FAA Groups: "Doctors Office" - 2014-Oct-10.
Featured in FAA Groups: "Pure Nature Photography - celebrating the best of our natural world" - 2017-Dec-31
Featured in FAA Groups: "Images That Excite You" - 2018-Jan-2
Featured in FAA Groups: "Birds in Focus" - 2018-Jul-30
Featured in FAA Groups: "Wild Birds Of The World - A Nature Photography Group" 2018-Jul-14
Featured in FAA Groups: "500 Views - 1 Image a Day" - 2019-Jan-6
Featured in FAA Groups: "1000 Views on 1 Image" -2019-Jul-5
Featured in FAA Groups: "Ontario Canada" - 2020-Apr-21
FAA Competition: 3rd Place out of 1,621 entries in the FAA "Contest-2 For a Purchase" - 2018-July-21:
FAA Competition: 2nd Place out of 674 entries in the FAA "Contest - Birds On Water Photography" 2018-July-30
FAA Competition: Tied for 2nd Place out of 314 entries "Home | Contests
BILLBOARD ART THAT WON'T MAKE THE 250 LIMIT" - 2019-Jul-21
Finalist in the Pixels/FAA Billboard Competition - 2019-Aug-15
Uploaded
July 9th, 2014
Statistics
Viewed 2,203 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 03/06/2024 at 4:44 AM
Embed
Sales Sheet
Hemet, CA - United States
A special moment indeed Robert! Nice to hear your retelling of the story and why this is such a special image to you in the Jewel In Your Portfolio challenge.
Toronto, ON - Canada
Congratulations, your amazing art is Featured, in “ONTARIO CANADAâ€, homepage group, of Fine Art America!
Calfornia, Un - United States
Good to have you here, my name is Eric Morgan, please am not always chance here for chat due to my office work, please write me through my email address (em382653@gmail.com) lets discus something important and get to know each other better. i wait for you, Please contact me directly. OK? God bless you and your family as you get back to me... Eric
Lubbock, TX - United States
Congratulations on your success in the Billboard Art that won't make the 250 limit contest.
Conneaut Lake, PA - United States
Great composition and beautiful reflection, Robert - congratulations on your top finish in the contest!
Port Orange, FL - United States
Congratulation.....your wonderful work has been featured in the 1000 Views on 1 Image Group l/f/p
San Francisco Bay Area, CA - United States
So adorable and precious, beautiful photography, Robert! F/L
Kansas City, MO - United States
Love this. I wonder how they decide who gets on momma's back.
Robert McAlpine replied:
I'm not sure - probably like most things in nature, they just do it. randomly, until someone else decides to do it.
Weipa, Qu - Australia
Great capture, Robert! They are so sweet, love the little one hiding on mum's back :)
Please Wait...
Share
Comment, Like, Favorite
0
0
0
0
0
119
213
120