Siesta Time
Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla. North Sea, Offshore, Germany.
Martin Grimm, Germany. Category: Attention to Detail. COMMENDED.
Photographer’s Story: ‘I spent time in the spring taking part in an offshore seabird survey on a research vessel in the North Sea. Our boat was regularly followed by small flocks of Black-legged Kittiwakes and some of them even landed on the vessel’s mast where they occasionally spent some time resting. Typically, the observers sat in an open shelter close to the mast, counting seabirds on transect lines for several hours continuously. So the gulls were used to our presence and sometimes came very close, resting next to where we were sat. The bird in the picture was one of these bold individuals, relaxing for a while with the vessel’s mast close by. Having my camera with me during the seabird counts, I was lucky enough to capture the perfect moment when this little beauty closed its eyes for a short siesta on the boat, innocently bowing its head at the same time.’
Canon EOS 1D MkII with Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM lens and 1.4x converter. 420mm focal length; 1/125 second; f/5; ISO 500. Handheld.
