Horned Lark

[Ryan Schain]

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4069/4248713586_385275c985_b.jpg

Horned Lark

Sandy Hook - Gateway National Park
Middletown, New Jersey

Canon EOS 7D
Canon EF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 L IS

1/1600
F/6.3
400 mm
ISO 400
+2/3 EV

[Tony Whitehead]

Good exposure and comp to show this little bird in it's habitat, Ryan. Sharpness is good and the pose is nice despite the bird being small in frame. I would be tempted to remove the grass sticking up from behind the perch in front of the bird.

[Graham Smith.]

Very nice image Ryan,
Although the perch is a little dominant to me, it is nice to see this species up off the ground for a change. I agree with Tony regarding suggested removal of grass from behind perch. BG is very nice and HA very good too!

[Ryan Schain]

Good exposure and comp to show this little bird in it's habitat, Ryan. Sharpness is good and the pose is nice despite the bird being small in frame. I would be tempted to remove the grass sticking up from behind the perch in front of the bird.

Thanks Tony!

I will play around with that grass sticking up and see how it looks :)

[Ryan Schain]

Very nice image Ryan,
Although the perch is a little dominant to me, it is nice to see this species up off the ground for a change. I agree with Tony regarding suggested removal of grass from behind perch. BG is very nice and HA very good too!

Thanks! I totally agree, it's not all that often horned larks get off the ground hah. I'll see how it looks without the grass :)

[denise ippolito]

Ryan, Really cute composition. The BG colors and lighting look nice. I was at the Hook a few weeks ago and came up empty. Maybe I'll try to get back there soon.

[Ryan Schain]

Ryan, Really cute composition. The BG colors and lighting look nice. I was at the Hook a few weeks ago and came up empty. Maybe I'll try to get back there soon.

Thanks Denise!

I actually live 15 minutes from Sandy Hook, so I photograph it 3-5 times a week. It can be tough, but there are definitely some spots that are usually reliable.

In the winter, it's not really a good place to photograph seaducks; there are plenty of them, but usually well out of range. Occasionally the long-tailed ducks and red-breasted mergansers come in close, but the buffleheads, scaups, and all three scoters, are usually well out of photographing range. On the other hand, Sandy Hook is excellent for songbirds. There are usually large flocks of horned larks, snow buntings, and a few lapland longspurs. The False Hook (at the end of the Fishermen's Trail), the barren ground near the nine-gun battery, North Beach, the ocean side beaches off B, C, D, and E lots, and Gunnison Beach, are all good locations for these species. Also, a roving flock of American Pipits works the North Side beach off Horseshoe Cove (on the bay side), and a mixed passerine species (Tree/White-throated/Song/Savannah/Field/Occasional White-crowned Sparrows, kinglets, goldfinches and yellow-rumped warblers) flock can be normally found around North Pond (off the Fishermen's Trail). Finally, the dunes around the False Hook are dotted with random large trees out in the open, and these can be great locations for Coopers Hawks, Sharpies, Merlin, Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, and occasional Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks.

In the spring, the hook absolutely EXPLODES with warblers, and a single morning can yield 15 or more different species of them.

I hope this helps. Like I said, I live so close to there and photograph it quite often, so if you head down there again, feel free to let me know!

[denise ippolito]

Ryan, Thanks for the info. I am 45 minutes from there. The Warblers and shorebirds are the main reason I go there-but the Horned Larks and Snow Buntings are of interest to me. I'll let you know when I go. :)

[Steve Canuel]

These are nice looking birds and he goes well with the surrounding colors.