While I was in Amboseli, I saw large flocks (often referred to as a commotion) of coots near the water edge. They were feeding at last light so I decided to capture some creative blurs of the tightly positioned Red-knobbed coots. My favorite from that evening was the image above. I used a shutter speed of 1/4 second and relied on the movement of the birds. However, if I’m honest, one of my clients Marilyn Toomey killed me with her coot pattern shot! I am hoping for another chance this year <wink>, because of course they will be in the exact same spot waiting for me, LOL!
Some Bird Groups: I am always looking to add to this list, if you have a suggestion, leave it in the comment section below. thx.
Bitterns - A sedge
Buzzards - A wake
Bobolinks - A chain
Chicks (of many species) - A brood; clutch
Coots - A cover, commotion
Cormorants - A gulp
Cranes - A sedge
Crows- A murder, horde
Dotterel - A trip
Doves - A dule, pitying (specific to turtle doves)
Ducks - A brace, flock (in flight), raft (on water) team, paddling (on water), badling
Eagles - A convocation
Finches - A charm
Flamingos - A stand
Geese - A flock, gaggle (on the ground), skein (in flight)
Grouse - A pack (in late season)
Gulls - A colony
Hawks - A cast, kettle (flying in large numbers), boil (two or more spiraling in flight)
Herons - A sedge, a siege
Jays- A party, scold
Lapwings - A deceit
Larks- An exaltation
Mallards- A sord (in flight), brace
Magpies - A tiding, gulp, murder, charm
Nightingales- A watch
Owls - A parliament
Parrots - A company
Partridge- A covey
Peacocks - A muster, an ostentation
Penguins - A colony
Pheasant - A nest, nide (a brood), nye, bouquet
Plovers - A congregation, wing (in flight)
Ptarmigans - A covey
Rooks - A building
Quail- A bevy, covey
Ravens- An unkindness
Snipe - A walk, a wisp
Sparrows - A host
Spoonbills- A bowl
Starlings - A murmuration
Storks - A mustering
Swallows - A flight
Swans - A bevy, wedge (in flight)
Teal- A spring
Turkeys - A rafter, gang
Widgeons - A company
Woodcocks - A fall
Woodpeckers - A descent
A Guide to Creative Blurs
by Denise Ippolito