Red-necked Stint (Calidris ruficollis) in breeding plumage

[Ian Wilson]

This is the smallest migratory wader that commonly visits Australia. For its size, the Red-necked Stint (weight about 30 g) performs an amazing migration between its breeding grounds in eastern Siberia and southern Australia (10,000 km). The bird shown here was photographed on the south coast of Australia on 13 April 2013 just prior to departure for the northern hemisphere.

Canon 5DIII + 600 mm f/4L II, Gitzo 3532LS tripod, Kirkphoto King Cobra gimbal.

Aperture priority, spot metering, AF 4-point expansion, f/7.1, 1/640 sec, ISO 400.

Processed with DPP4 and PS Elements.

Thanks for looking, critical feedback welccome.

Ian

[William Dickson]

Very nice image Ian,the bird is perfectly clear and really good looking,and sure does pop from the great looking BG

[Jon Rista]

Excellent image. I like the bird's pose, and the clean surroundings.

[Diane Miller]

Gorgeous bird and beautiful capture, and it does stand out from the BG! Should it have some CW rotation, to make the plane of focus horizontal? It may have been on a slope, but no clue for us hapless onlookers.... :e3

I wonder if the sand is a bit too blue/cyan, also -- but that could be the light.

[Ian Wilson]

Gorgeous bird and beautiful capture, and it does stand out from the BG! Should it have some CW rotation, to make the plane of focus horizontal? It may have been on a slope, but no clue for us hapless onlookers.... :e3

I wonder if the sand is a bit too blue/cyan, also -- but that could be the light.

Thanks for your feedback Diane. The beach was sloping and I was working off my level tripod. You are right about the background being a bit blue but I think this is scattering of the blue sky off the wet sand. Conversely, the whites on the bird are a bit warm on account of the low sun angle. Regards, Ian

[Shawn Zierman]

Sweet little sandpiper...really reminds me of the breeding plumaged sanderlings that come through my area in the spring. Simple but effective image design. Background shows a fair amount of pixelation, I would guess due to compression? The detail that jumps out at me is the sand on the bill, which speaks to probing...I dig that.

[Richard Flack]

Stunning detail Ian... really shows off the little guys beautiful plumage. Nicely exposed and nice, neat BG. TFS

[Bill Dix]

Fabulous bird, with beautiful breeding plumage. Nice detail and pose, super clean bg. I also noticed that he seems to be standing on a slope, based on the plane of focus. I guess he was.

[Ian Wilson]

Thanks everyone for your generous feedback and helpful comments on this image. Regards, Ian