| Portrait of a Brown Booby, taken at Frigate Cay, one of the many seabird rich islands in the outer Great Barrier
Reef, off Queensland, Australia. Like the birds of the Galápagos, this gannet did not seem troubled by the
presence of a photographer at a distance maintained by use of a medium telephoto lens. We were particularly impressed by the iridescent blue cast of the face and bill, and with the clarity of the eye. Because of awkwardness on land, these birds have been categorically named as boobies. However, in the air, they are a picture of speed and grace. It seems to us, that the Spanish name for these birds, 'Picquero' or spearsman, is far more appropriate.. |