Oystercatcher with Prey

[Mike Landwehr]

This colorful oystercatcher was strutting through the shallow water at Little Estero with a freshly-caught coquina in its beak. Originally, the subject was too large in the frame. I rotated slightly, added canvas if front of the subject, slightly cropped the bottom and in back of the subject, and flipped horizontally. Other than that, some slight cleanup, crop and sharpen. Any suggestions welcomed.

1D Mark IV
500 mm + 1.4x
ISO 200
1/1600 @ f/6.7
Tripod

[gail bisson]

Very nice Mike.
The prey in the mouth definitely adds to the image.
Nice and sharp and great low POV.
I prefer a little more space in front but that is me and a personal preference.

[Karl Egressy]

Nice low shooting angle perfect exposure. Like the open beak with the food item in it.

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

Great looking bird, nice exposure, great IQ and light. I wish for more room all around the bird.

[Geoffrey Montagu]

Very nice capture, Mike. These birds are very striking with rich colors that you handled well. Like the mid stride and food item in beak.



Geoffrey

[Jim Neiger]

Very nice! You nailed the exposure getting great detail in both white and black areas.