In Flight

I have chosen these pictures for today because I love to see birds in flight. With smaller birds it is harder to capture the detail because they move so much quicker than larger birds (although some smaller birds like Humming Birds which I have posted before are great because they hover and so it is possible to get get shots while they are in motion).

Large birds such as those in the pictures above fly so gracefully and compared to the way they lumber around on the ground either in the water or in flight they look so elegant. Take the Whooper Swans in the first picture for example, I love the shapes made by the wings, and the way they use every individual element to control lift and direction. They also make it look effortless while in the air but they expend so much energy getting off the ground.

The Cormorant in the second image was flying a bit more quickly and seemingly with greater purpose. he looks so streamlined with his neck stretched forward and his feet tuck in tight against his body.

The final shot is of a small flock of Pink-footed Geese. Again I like the different shapes as their wings flex and bend powering them through the sky. I also like to see the cooperative nature of geese in flight as they fly in sagitate flocks, using an arrow or v-shaped formation to help give each other extra lift and lighten the load.