Red-necked Stint (Calidris ruficollis) Ash Island NSW

Red-necked Stint (Calidris ruficollis) Ash Island NSW Australia
Canon EOS 7D Lens 400mm L USM with small extension tube ISO400 F8.0 1/1250 available light 13 January 2012
This single individual was taken at this RAMSAR recognised wetland on Ash Island in the Hunter River. Two of our local wader people (Jeff Davies and Dan Rogers) noted about this individual bird: Both think that it's a first-year Red-necked Stint (hatched about July 2011). Age is confirmed by nice crisp dark tips to the outer primaries (still quite fresh) and the moderately worn, smallish wing coverts of uniform age, retained from juvenile plumage (older birds at this time of year have active moult of wing-coverts, or have completed moult of the wing-covs resulting in larger feathers without such obvious dark feather contres - they usually have larger scapulars too, so the wing-coverts are seldom exposed). The head pattern is actually supportive of this - that neat pale buff tinge is actually caused by retained juv head feathers. It sounds counter-intuitive, but I'm confident of this - I see a lot of Red-necked Stints with similar head pattern in the first half of December. Early January is a bit on the late side, but within the range I've seen in Victoria. The bill is a bit on the long side, but not outside the range of variation seen in females.
We do not see our migratory waders in breeding plumage mostly. Red-necked Stints breed in north-eastern Siberia and northern and western Alaska and migrate annually to Australia during our summer months.
Best regards
Rod Warnock

Hi Rod,

Wonderful little bird in a nice pose. Makes me long to get back to Australia..
I do feel the eye and bill look a bit oversharpened due to the highlights on them.

greetings,

Jeroen Stel

Hi Rod, good low angle, and I like the feather detail. Sharp, and well exposed. I would maybe take at least half off the bottom.

Very nice pose, exposure and detail. I agree a bit off the bottom would help.

Must have been in La La Land when I submitted this image, of course it needed a different crop. Here is the new version. Thanks Bill, Stuart and Jeroen for you comments.
Best regards
Rod Warnock

I like the repost but would add a bit more on top to make it less of a pano. Good IQ and nice low angle. I might clone out the bits of debris in the water by the left leg (if you are not against it). I like the raised foot and feeding pose. They look a lot like sanderlings,
Gail