Takeoff! | Phil Lanoue Photography

Takeoff!

Yesterday afternoon I saw this Pied-billed Grebe doing a running takeoff as it launched itself up and out of the marsh pond. The Pied-billed is a duck-like diving bird and I generally only see them floating about in the marsh occasionally diving down to snatch a small fish and then popping back up again. Grebes are not skilled or graceful flyers and it takes considerable effort for a Pied-billed Grebe to get airborne so it was very unusual for me to see one going through the takeoff procedure.

35 thoughts on “Takeoff!”

Chillbrook on March 10, 2013 at 3:39 pm said:

You’ve captured the effort involved beautifully Phil. I love the way the sun is catching the wings!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 11, 2013 at 2:29 pm said:
  
  Thanks Adrian, I’m happy you like these pics!
  
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pixelspielerei on March 10, 2013 at 3:42 pm said:

Speedy Gonzales? 😉

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- Phil Lanoue on March 11, 2013 at 2:29 pm said:
  
  He sure is speedy! Thanks
  
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  - pixelspielerei on March 11, 2013 at 4:44 pm said:
    
    I think so! ☺
    
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suburbanferndaleark on March 10, 2013 at 4:28 pm said:

Great light! Love how the back lighting highlights his wing features on the downstroke.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 11, 2013 at 2:29 pm said:
  
  Thanks much, glad you enjoyed these grebe shots!
  
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Molly Argo on March 10, 2013 at 4:51 pm said:

Great shots of this little one. The reflections are fantastic!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 11, 2013 at 2:30 pm said:
  
  Thanks Molly, I appreciate your comments!
  
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Gunta on March 10, 2013 at 5:26 pm said:

You arranged the lighting well. All kidding aside…. these are just more of your fantastic shots! Lovely!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 11, 2013 at 2:32 pm said:
  
  I had a full lighting crew out there to help me, it worked out OK but running those generators was annoying the alligators. 😉
  Thanks for checking these out! 🙂
  
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  - Gunta on March 11, 2013 at 3:01 pm said:
    
    …and we certainly do NOT want to annoy the alligators!
    
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    - Phil Lanoue on March 11, 2013 at 3:20 pm said:
      
      No we do not. An angry alligator is no good for anybody.
      
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seattlecharlie on March 10, 2013 at 10:39 pm said:

Great photo, how long did you wait to get a special shot like that?

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- Phil Lanoue on March 11, 2013 at 2:33 pm said:
  
  Thanks, glad you liked these!
  I was watching some other birds when out of the corner of my eye I spotted this guy zipping across. I got off three frames, these two plus the third which by then the grebe was mostly behind a tree.
  
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lylekrahn on March 11, 2013 at 12:57 am said:

Beautiful light thru the wings.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 11, 2013 at 2:34 pm said:
  
  Thanks I appreciate you looking.
  
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meyer23 on March 11, 2013 at 4:29 am said:

Wow, great shots. Perfectly timed.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 11, 2013 at 2:34 pm said:
  
  Thank you for your very kind comments.
  
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janmasyn on March 11, 2013 at 5:54 am said:

Excellent shot, wonderful light, well done.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 11, 2013 at 2:34 pm said:
  
  I appreciate it Jan, thanks.
  
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lucianaele on March 11, 2013 at 6:37 am said:

Meravigliose !!!!
Buon inizio di settimana,
Luciana

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- Phil Lanoue on March 11, 2013 at 2:37 pm said:
  
  Grazie mille sono contento che ti è piaciuto quelle foto!
  
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adinparadise on March 11, 2013 at 10:49 am said:

I’m afraid I couldn’t help but laugh at these pics, Phil. He looks like a cartoon character. Well captured, and thanks for sharing your stunning photos with me. 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on March 11, 2013 at 2:35 pm said:
  
  He does look like a cartoon character, that’s one reason these little grebes are so cute! They are the chipmunk of the bird world.
  Thanks for checking these out Sylvia!
  
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monisertel on March 11, 2013 at 11:32 am said:

Hello Phil,
perfect captured!!! Great shots!
Wish you a nice day
moni

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- Phil Lanoue on March 11, 2013 at 2:36 pm said:
  
  Thanks moni I appreciate you looking and commenting!
  
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Amy on March 11, 2013 at 11:37 am said:

The water splash is stunning! The Grebe has a great focus, it shows… Amazing shot, Phil!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 11, 2013 at 2:36 pm said:
  
  Thank you much for the kind words Amy!
  
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pviette on March 11, 2013 at 3:52 pm said:

That’s wonderful, Phil. I love the reflection in the second photo.
PS Parla l’Italiano, Lei ? Che meraviglia :). Patricia

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- Phil Lanoue on March 12, 2013 at 10:28 am said:
  
  So happy you like these photos Patricia, thanks very much!
  Io in realtà non parla italiano molto bene, ho bisogno di un piccolo aiuto 😉 🙂
  
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Dusty Roads on March 15, 2013 at 8:39 pm said:

nice!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 16, 2013 at 3:52 pm said:
  
  Thanks!
  
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Fergiemoto on March 18, 2013 at 5:23 pm said:

Cool action shots! I like how you were able to capture those splashes of water behind the bird.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 19, 2013 at 9:59 am said:
  
  Thank you, I’m so glad you liked these pics!
  
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