Louisiana waterthrush

[Jack Backs]

This was the first image that came to mind when contemplating unusual prey. This Louisiana waterthrush fished a salamander larvae out of a
small pool of water. Taken back in June 2016. The pool was in primarily deep shade with relatively small shafts of light breaking through the
canopy. I was struggling to keep up with exposure as the bird was hopping in and out of shade. There must have been a 3-4 stop difference.
I ended burning out a little of the whites when it hopped into a sunny spot with the prey for a second.

Nikon D500, 500mmF4VRII, TC-14EIII

f8, iso1250, 1/500s

[Dorian Anderson]

Beautiful light with great detail on the bird. The prey is also really nice. We can see the correction on the eyebrow, but you had a tough exposure task with so much dark in the scene. The bird doesn't jump off
the background, but this shows the stream-side preference of this species perfectly. Its a very authentic in-habitat view.

[kevin Hice]

Nice Jack a very difficult bird to get and in difficult conditions. For me the busy background and highlights on the rocks takes away. But what do you do this is the environment that they are in. I have tried before and never got near this good. Bird looks great details and sharpness.Salamander is a big plus. TFS

[dankearl]

I wish the leaf was not there but everything else about this is really nice.
Habitat and prey is perfect.

[Jack Backs]

Agreed, the leaf is a bummer.

[John Mack]

Like how this shows the environment the bird is in. Also that salamander is very cool! Composition looks right on to my eyes.