Ivory Gull, Pismo Beach, CA!

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11-07-2010, 10:39 AM
Dan Brown

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Ivory Gull, Pismo Beach, CA!

This capture was made yesterday in the rain, bellied up in the wet sand! Preliminary reports are that this is the second record of the species in CA! A very cooperative bird that is thrilling many birders while it feeds on a seal carcass (not pictured here). I cropped about 20%,converted with NX2 and processed with CS3, sharpening and NR with Noiseware Pro plus a tiny bit more sharpening with usm. I also lightened the eye. C&C welcome.

Camera Model: NIKON D300, handheld, shoulderstock
Shutter speed: 1/350 sec
Aperture: 8
Exposure mode: Manual
Flash: Off
Metering mode: Multi-segment
ISO: 800
Lens: 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6
Focal length: 400mm
Focal length: 600mm (in 35mm film)
VR Image Stabilization: On
AF mode: AF-C
11-07-2010, 10:59 AM
Doug Brown

Congrats on getting a nice frame of such a rare bird Dan! I'm glad you got low, even if you got a little dirty in the process. Good sharpness and eye contact. Like the open bill. Might tone down the whites on top of the head a little.
11-07-2010, 12:37 PM
Marina Scarr

Great find and good for you for getting wet and sandy to get a nice POV. Agree with Doug on toning the top of the head. It was the first thing that popped out at me when I opened the picture. I would crop a tad off the left and give him a little more room on the right. This would keep him so close to the center, and I think give him more prominence in your capture.
11-07-2010, 12:55 PM
Sid Garige

Awesome eye contact Dan. Great pose. Too bad light did not co-operate.
11-07-2010, 01:45 PM
Tony Whitehead

Nice pose and I really like the colours on the bill. I agree on taking a little off the left to decanter the bird. Has short legs for a gull.
11-07-2010, 02:25 PM
Aidan Briggs

Nice low angle, and exposure. I like the open bill. I just heard about this guy. Hopefully I will be able to try for it tomorrow!!
11-07-2010, 04:12 PM
Bill Dix

Beautiful capture of this rare and elegant bird. Worth getting dirty for. Agree with Marina about the crop.
11-08-2010, 08:57 AM
denise ippolito

Dan, Great find and a lovely image. Worth getting in the wet sand! I love the open bill.:)
11-08-2010, 09:28 AM
Stu Bowie

Getting down and dirty has paid off here. Good head turn, sharp, and overall well exposed. I would maybe move to the left in the frame.
11-08-2010, 04:27 PM
Ákos Lumnitzer

White head aside, looks fabulous Dan. Love the open bill and POV. Great stuff mate.
11-09-2010, 03:12 PM
Kaustubh Deshpande

Dan, loved the details and the low angle. nice pose too. The bill texture has come out very well here. This must have made you a superstar( if you weren't one already :-) in the local birding community.
11-14-2010, 10:07 PM
Dan Brown

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaustubh Deshpande

Dan, loved the details and the low angle. nice pose too. The bill texture has come out very well here. This must have made you a superstar( if you weren't one already :-) in the local birding community.

Thanks all for the fine comments! I have been out of internet range for a week chasing the rarities that have been showing up here in CA! First this Ivory gull (BTW Kaustubh, many birders/photogs were able to get good images as the bird was very tame as many Arctic stragglers are) then a Black-tailed Gull (only the third CA record!) showed up near Long Beach which I missed after spending much, much time on! While the BTGU was being uncooperative, a Tiaga Bean Goose popped up at the Salton Sea (SoCal) which I did see but was only able to get record shots. This one may be the first CA record but I'm not sure. I put about 2000 miles on my car in a week as I live in Northern CA:(! Thanks again to all!