Image Credit: Chris Bray

Panasonic Lumix GH5 Camera + Panasonic Leica 100-400mm f/4-6.3 Lens (@ 150mm) | 1/2500 sec @ f/4.6, ISO 1600

Christmas Island is home to three of the world’s five species of frigatebird – one of the most visually and behaviourally impressive seabird species in the world. Not only does the male have a spectacular red throat pouch that he inflates to attract a mate; frigatebirds are also perfect flying machines.



They have the largest wingspan-to-bodyweight ratio of any bird, can fly 4000m high in freezing conditions, and soar continually for weeks at a time on their 2m wings. They are so agile in the air that they can easily outmanoeuvre even the swiftest tropicbird in dramatic aerial dogfights forcing their hapless quarry to regurgitate a meal of fresh fish, which the frigatebird then loops back and catches mid-air.

Frigatebirds do, however, have hopeless little pigeon-like feet and their feathers lack the waterproof oily coating of most seabirds, so they can’t land on the water. Such accurate flyers, though, they don’t need to; instead they swoop down over puddles of water like this and snap up a beak-full to drink on the wing.



It all happens so fast, though; it’s a real challenge to photograph and I have wasted many days of my life before managing to snag this shot using my Lumix GH5, set to a fast shutter speed of 1/2500 sec to freeze the moment, ISO 1600 and f/4.6 on my 100-400mm lens set to 150mm (300mm equivalent).