Juv. Short-billed Dowitcher from last year

[Nikhil Patwardhan]

From last year's Jamaica Bay Shorebird Festival at East Pond. This juvenile Stilt Sandpiper was busy feeding, there weren't that many shorebirds that day.

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ISO 200, f/4, 1/800
TC-14B with Nikon 500mm f/4 P (manual focus) lens on a D700.
August 2015, NY

[gail bisson]

Hi Nikhil,
I really like the color palette of this image.Nice windblown fearthers.
And yes, you do have the species correct.
A few issues for me:
1. I find the 3 white blobs in the BG and would clone them out if not against your ethics.
2. I would like a bit more room on the RHS to give the tail some breathing room.
3.I wish you had more of a head tilt towards the viewer.
4.I would clone out the brown line that is on lower LHS of frame.
Gail

[Nikhil Patwardhan]

Thank you Gail, I had left the white spots intentionally to give more of a 3D look but have given cloning a try and I quite like it like that too. I did not have more canvas unfortunately on the right so I had to add it in artificially in PhotoShop.

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[William Dickson]

Repost looks better Nikhil. I like the pose, would have liked a better HA. The bird fits nicely with the BG.

Will

[Daniel Cadieux]

First off, about the species: I'm not convinced this is a dowitcher as those have barred flanks. This one does not, and it has a fully dark and slightly drooping bill. To me this is a juvenile Stilt Sandpiper.

Good low angle, and the raised ankle is good. I like the "ocean feel" of the image. A better head angle would have made it lit up by the sun. The repost is better with the blobs gone and extended canvas at right.

[Isaac Grant]

Your bird is a Juvenile Stilt Sandpiper, not a Short-billed Dowitcher. Short-billed Dowitchers look much different. They are mostly reddish, have barring on the flanks, the have straight bills, not down curved like this and they have barred tertials (unlike juvenile long-billed dowitchers). This bird is already molting and getting a few of its adult feathers on the mantle.

I like the color palette very much. Makes for a pleasing photo. Unfortunately, your sun angle was not great on this and it has caused the top of your bird to be a bit washed out and the bottom to have too much shadows. Agree about the head angle as well. Repost looks better.

[Nikhil Patwardhan]

Thank you William, Daniel and Isaac for the ID and feedback, I've corrected the post.

[Isaac Grant]

Anytime. The east pond is like a second home to me. I ran the shorebird count there in the mid 90's. Go there loads of times every year. Actually was there yesterday chasing an out of season Wilson's Phalarope.