Northern Gannet

This frame and the adjacent show different individuals captured under similar circumstances. The poop-covered cliff behind was shadowed by a massive rock formation, but there was a narrow sliver of sunlight through which the birds had to pass to reach their nests. Exposing for the white gannet, I teased some contextual detail out the shadows in post-processing. The fluffed/raised feathers on the topside of the wing indicate that the bird is stalling and about to land, and you can see the striped foot beneath the tail. The gray-and-white blobs on the cliff ledges are out-of-focus Black-legged Kittiwakes on their nests.

Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve, Newfoundland, Canada, 7/5/22
Canon 600 mm f/4 IS on EOS R5
1/5000 at f/4, ISO 400