Southern Carmine Bee-eater

[Chris van Rooyen]

This image was created at a bee-eater colony on the Zambezi River in Namibia. The wind caused an updraft against the steep river banks where the birds were nesting, This bird used the updraft to hover momentarily above its nest before diving into the nesting hole. The white river sand reflecting the light on its undersides was a big bonus.

Camera Model: Canon EOS-1D Mark II
Firmware: Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows
Date/Time: 2006:10:13 09:12:42
Shutter speed: 1/2500 sec
Aperture: 8
Exposure mode: Av
Flash: Off
Metering mode: Multi-segment
ISO: 400
Lens: 500mm
Focal length: 700mm