This is a red-necked stint, the most common peep along the coast of China. The freshness of the plumage, the lack of any remnant rufous coloring, and the faint wash and streaking on the breast all indicate that this is a juvenile. I was 6.7 m from this bird, crawling through a fish pond, my 600 mm lens supported by my air mattress. I was at Yangkou, Jiangsu, China.
Device: Nikon D3S
Lens: VR 600mm F/4G
Focal Length: 600 mm
Aperture: F/8
Shutter Speed: 1/2500
Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
Exposure Comp.: None
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 1250
Metering Mode: Center-Weight
Subject Distance: 6.7 m
Vibration Reduction: Not used.
Mattress: Yes
Photoshoppery: As I crept in closer, I kept narrowing the aperture so as to get the entire bird in focus. Because of the narrow aperture, many little spots and specks behind the bird were coming into focus. I cloned many of 'em out. But I didn't want a too-clean-to-be-true image, so I left the poop and some sticks in.
Beautiful shorebird. Sharp details on the bird without being overly sharp.
Nice light quality. The size of the bird in the frame is at least bordering on
being too large. The out of focus dark band in the bg to the right of the bird
is mildly distracting...how much did you explore moving to your right, slightly off
light axis, to provide better background control? Love the foot detail (hind claw
especially)...
Hi Craig, you seem to have your leopard crawling mastered to having got nice and close to your last couple of images posted recently. I like the detail in this, sharp, and maybe a little more room on the right.
Juvie Red-necked Stint
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I like the detail in this, sharp, and maybe a little more room on the right.
