Piping Plover wing stretch

[Grace Scalzo]

Here is my last post for 2015. I wanted to choose my personal favorite from the year and here it is. I live on the North Shore of Long Island, a very populated place with constant push/pull between making beaches accessable for people and safe for certain species that are struggling. We can only change the world one step at a time and I am very proud of our community for the work done on our Town Beach. This year, four pair of piping plovers fledged 13 young. One pair nested not far from the parking lot and became little rock stars with the community with people pausing during their walks to observe them, making special trips just to see them, and taking extra care to offer them safe passage. This is one from that nest. I like the symbolism of him stretching his wing as I think that our community really stretched ours in this case.

All my best to each of you for a Happy and Healthy 2016 filled with lots of fun out there photographing our beautful birds. (And other stuff!)

1/1600, f8, iso800
Canon 1dx, 100x400 + 1.4tc

[Geoffrey Montagu]

Beautiful PIPL wing stretch, Grace. Excellent control of the whites, and great detail. Like the pebbles and broken shells adding to the habitat.

Happy New Year to you Grace.

Geoffrey

[Bob Smith]

I can't imagine a more perfect image to end the year with Grace. It's work like this that keeps me coming back to this forum, where there are 100's of fine images and, every now and then, ones like this.<script type="text/javascript" src="safari-extension://com.ebay.safari.myebaymanager-QYHMMGCMJR/85f71920/background/helpers/prefilterHelper.js"></script>

[annmpacheco]

A beautiful image for sure and a great story of how folks appreciated these wee peeps. The quality is top notch and as clean and fresh as those young feathers. Love your control of the whites and the "peach fuzz feathers" on top of the head and neck. Just terrific. would love to know where this juvenile is right now!

[gail bisson]

Well done Grace!
Great POV and light and IQ.
Love why this is your favorite image,
Gail

[Bill Dix]

A beauty, Grace. Wonderful detail, pose, POV. Well captured, and well said. Happy New Year to you!

[christopher galeski]

Beautiful image Grace,love the wing stretch,good IQ,happy new year.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Ah, too cute!! Thank you for the story too, many people must have been touched by these birds :-) I love the stretching pose, low angle, and pebble floor.

Happy New Year Grace!

[Jonathan Ashton]

That's a cracker Grace lovely pose and composition, I really like the super sharp eye.
1/1600 f8 ISO 1600...it's seems like a dream - just can't remember anything close to that light now!:eek3:

[Charlene Bacchioni]

Grace ,i don't have words for this image , TOP NOTCH.

[Lorant Voros]

What a great stretching pose! Super nice IQ, low shooting angle, river stone floor and light. I can see why you like it. Very nice last image of the old year.

[Grace Scalzo]

Thanks ever so much for the kind words that you offered about this image. As it is a meaningful photograph to me, I am happy that you like it too. Best to everyone in 2016.

[Glenn Conlan]

Grace, You ended the year with a wonderful capture and presentation of a special shorebird. The stretch is always a nice added touch