South Georgia - Falklands Expedition Report - Part 7

These are photos of birds I photographed at Cooper Bay in South Georgia. What name should I give them? Blue-eyed Shag is sometimes used to describe a specific species and sometimes to refer to an entire group of species and subspecies. Taxonomically, authorities have not yet agreed upon the genus of the bird nor how many species and suspecies exist. Whatever. The birds in question all have a blue, purple or red eye ring and in breeding season the adults have a black crest and bright orange nasal caruncles (fleshy, naked outgrown). Juveniles have a predominantly brown plumage and lack the caruncles and head crest (last photo).

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera, 300mm f/4 IS Pro Lens
1/4000 sec at f/5, ISO 2500


Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera, 300mm f/4 IS Pro Lens
1/4000 sec at f/5, ISO 2000

The shags have a number of adaptations that facilitate underwater hunting. Buoyancy is reduced by bones that are proportionately heavier than other seabirds and a relative lack of body fat. The fully webbed feet, streamlined body and powerful synchronized thrusts of the set-back legs are conducive to rapid propulsion through the water. Shags have an unusually high volume of blood and the large amount of stored oxygen enables them to remain underwater for up to four minutes and to dive as deep as 150 feet. The inner feathers are waterproofed and insulate against the cold waters but the outer feathers are not. They become sodden and limit the time the bird can hunt before being forced to return to land to allow the waterlogged plumage to dry. That is when they assume the characteristic posture of standing upright with the wings extended outwards for drying.



Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera, 300mm f/4 IS Pro Lens
1/4000 sec at f/5, ISO 2000


Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera, 300mm f/4 IS Pro Lens
1/3200 sec at f/5, ISO 800


Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera, 300mm f/4 IS Pro Lens
1/3200 sec at f/5, ISO 1000

David Sparks

I retired in 2005 after 40 years of research and teaching at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (24 years), the University of Pennsylvania (8 years) and the Baylor College of Medicine (8 years). Photography is my retirement hobby.

Nature photography, especially bird photography, combines a number of things that I really enjoy: bird-watching, being outdoors, photography, travel, messing about with computers, and learning new skills and concepts.  I now spend much of my time engaged in these activities.

David Sibley in the preface to The Sibley Guide to Birds wrote "Birds are beautiful, in spectacular as well as subtle ways; their colors, shapes, actions, and sounds are among the most aesthetically pleasing in nature."  My goal is to acquire images that capture the beauty and uniqueness of selected species as well as images that highlight the engaging behaviors the birds exhibit.