Got this when this male wasn't fighting the others.

Wow. That's a scarey sharp image Loup!

Nice!

Emily

Wow, what gear were you using to get a shutter speed that fast ? Nice image !

Thanks, Rick and Emily!

Paul, I used the Canon 10D set at ISO 400 (too high!) at 1/1000s with the 70-200 f/2.8L IS set at f/4.

The shot I was going after is actually more like the picture attached below - with the water film still intact over the head. But the water film would always break apart too early before the head reached the normal upright position. Settings here same as above.

Gotcha... 1/1000th isn't really that fast. Yesterday the sun came out around 3 pm, so I went over to the local park to see what was there. I pass on ducks and geese, so I went for tree swallows ;) I was shooting in the 1/2500th range at iso 250 for shots with sky in them ;)

What a terrific shot, love everything about it.