Bee eater (Merops apiaster)

[MILLIREHM]

... "diving" away from the breeding hole after feeding its juveniles

[armando_m]

Excellent, great contrast of the colorful bird vs the monochrome background

[MILLIREHM]

Thanks for commenting Armando

[Peter Connan]

Excellent. I know from experience that this is more difficult than most people think.
Just be a little more careful of over-exposure

[Akira]

Amazing capture!   Appreciate your reflex nerve and perseverance more than the equipment.

[John Geerts]

Amazing shot indeed. The Bee eater is so shy and fast you won't see it a lot. In our area (Netherlands)  they are very rare.

[Mongo]

very nice capture indeed of this very quick bird.

[bobfriedman]

very nice.. hard shot to get sharp even when you can anticipate the launch... believe me after 100s of tree swallow tries i finally got one at a nest near me ...

[MILLIREHM]

Thanks for your positive feedback friends

Akira, there was perseverance and fast reaction and even more anticipation involved. But I'd say equipment had its signifigcant share. Without the AF-Speed and fps of the D500 it would have been a lot more difficult to get these shots, I dont know how I would have ended with the D300/D700 combo I had used in former years. Long tele range also was not bad for not disturbing the birds.

[Akira]

Indeed, knowing the habit of the bird to anticipate its behavior is also one of the important factors.  The improved performance of the equipments would be the bonus added to these factors.