Sighted this beautiful bird sunbathing in the sun in lake surrounded by a small forest. The lake had several islands some too far for the camera. But this being a large bird, I managed to get a decent shot.

This is a target bird of mine for flight photography, and it is pretty common here in water bodies. But It is hard to get it in flight though since it requires a clear line of sight and the bird has to fly nearby. And as the neck and face are quite thin and AF doesn't catch them, so have to focus on the body and reduce the F-Value.

It was there for about 15 mins preening itself, drying the wings and finally flew away to the far side of the lake. The bird is known for diving into the water, swimming under and catching fish. It is also known as Snake bird as sometimes, the long neck is often mistaken for a snake while it is underwater.

Thanks in advance for the views and feedback - very much appreciated.

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Make:	Canon
Model:	Canon EOS R5
Exposure:	1/4000 sec
Aperture:	f/8.0
ISO Speed:	1600
Focal Length:	700 mm
Lens:	EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4x III