Travelling along the Canning Stock Route in the Gibson Desert, in Western Australia, we came across the most magnificent murmuration of budgies. They were feeding on grass seed and took to the sky when I accidentally startled them. Budgies are “boom and bust” birds, completely reliant on good spring rain to make the desert country flourish. No rain, no birds.
The noisy chatter and downward wing rush was amazing. This image is a very small portion of the flock.
Feedback Requests
Any suggestions welcomed.
Pertinent Technical Details
ISO 800 70-200@200mm f8 1/1600
Processed in ACR only. A few basic adjustments and a stick pruning on the bottom edge. I started removing half budgies…but lost the urge.
A great image Glennie, it gives a real sense of the rush of the birds taking to the air. It is almost abstract as they merge together. The sheer number of bird is impressive and if this is, “a very small proportion” then I would love to see a wider shot.
In nature photography capturing the essence of something that we may experience can be really hard. I’m guessing that this is quite a fast/fleeting experience that wouldn’t allow for a panoramic shot, but I wonder if stitching a few separate shots together (not the same one) would literally expand the shot and give an even great sense of the size of the flock… leave the half budgies, they aren’t worth it!
Glennie wonder capture of the motion and colors. I like Ryan’s suggestion of a wider view to give them some room to move but that all depends on what you have. Now I don’t know if it would work and it certainly isn’t my style, but what if you cropped in on just the budgies? Would it almost be an abstract but representative at the same time? Just an idea. Again, the colors and title are wonderful.
