Dunlin

[Peter Farrell]

I posted another image of these birds in ETL this morning. I called it a Sanderling but I wasn't sure. I was informed that it was a Dunlin.
Taken along the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia Beach, VA. Cold, Windy, late morning, some clouds.
Sony A700, 70-400G @400mm, f5.6, 1/5000, iso400, -0.7 EC. I was laying down in the sand.
PP in PSE8, S/H, Curves, USM I cloned out another birds tail feathers and some dark spots in the water in front of my subject.

[Ben_Sadd]

I like the bubblebath look of the foam here. I would probably try cropping out about half of the foreground sand. I think it would draw more attention to the bird. Ideally a little more of a head turn towards the camera would have been good, as I think this would have opened up the eye and livened up the image.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Paul, the "Sanderling" ETL is indeed rightly corrected as Dunlin...but this one here that you call a "Dunlin" IS a Sanderling!:) A quick comparision of the bill size and shape will confirm this...

Exposure and sharpness look good. Neat bubbles at the feet. Good call in laying down on the ground. Good job with the cloning as I hadn't noticed anything. A couple of things would have made this a stronger image: better HA (just a bit more towards us), a catchlight (which a better HA may have provided you), and the bird lower in the frame...I like the idea of half the FG, with the same amount added above.

[Joerg Rockenberger]

I like the composition, low angle, bubbles and don't feel a need for eliminating more from the foreground. But I do think the image could benefit from a CW rotation and the HA is unfortunately off. Also, there appears to be something weird with the head on my monitor. It somehow appears less focused than the bill and the rest of the body...

JR

[Peter Farrell]

[QUOTE=Daniel Cadieux;605719]Paul, the "Sanderling" ETL is indeed rightly corrected as Dunlin...but this one here that you call a "Dunlin" IS a Sanderling!:) A quick comparision of the bill size and shape will confirm this...[QUOTE]

Thanks Daniel. From know on I'll just refer to them all as SSB's. (Small shore birds):o
Peter

[James Salywoda]

Excellent low angle and composition I like the overall image as this one is on the hunt well done Peter.

[Paul Guris]

"From know on I'll just refer to them all as SSB's. (Small shore birds)"

Don't shy away from shorebird ID. It's really not that bad. The bill is the first key, and you can move on from there. At this time of year, you usually have a limited number of choices.

Beautiful shot and I love the foam, though my personal preference would be to pull back a little if possible.