A Spanish photographer has managed to wow the online world with his incredible series of images capturing flocks of birds mid-flight.
Xavi Bou, who is based in Barcelona, condenses several seconds of movement into a single frame, in turn creating stunning photographs for his ongoing project called Ornitographies, which has been running since 2012.
On his website, Bou explains the thought process behind his work, saying the project is a balance between 'art and science' that stems from his 'great passion' for birds.
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Bou writes: "My intention is to capture the beauty of the bird's flight in a single moment, making the invisible visible.
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"Ornitographies moves away from the purely scientific practice of chronophotography that 19th century photographers Eadweard Muybridge and Étienne Julies Marey developed. It is the balance between art and science, a project of naturalist discovery, and, at the same time, an exercise of visual poetry."
Bou shares many of the photographs on Instagram, where many of his followers are left feeling absolutely amazed at what he's managed to capture.
"I am so glad I stumbled upon your work - beautiful," one person gushed on one of his posts.
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Another commented: "Today I saw your work and am in shock. You are a genius!"
Detailing the story behind one of his most extraordinary shots, Bou wrote in the photo's caption: "This is one of the most surprising images I've taken. Driving on a highway through Extremadura, Spain.
"I saw a large group of cranes flying in formation V. I left the highway at the next exit, just in time to prepare the camera and try to record how they flew over me.
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"Unfortunately because of the fact that the battery was exhausted I could not record that shot, but just a few seconds later those cranes broke the formation to turn on themselves for several seconds, something I had never seen."
Another photo marks the moment when cranes are caught in a 'short migration' between the lagoon and the fields in Gallocanta - a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon.
Bou writes: "In Gallocanta every year thousands of cranes spend the winter.
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"During the day they feed in the fields and at night they sleep in the lagoon. So every morning and evening there is a short migration where groups of dozens of individuals are formed."
View more of Bou's incredible work via his website or Instagram.
Featured Image Credit: Xavi BouTopics: World News, News, Animals, Nature