Red-capped Plover

[PhilCook]

Out of my comfort zone with birds of the mud flats .....but even though I had to travel 300 klms back from a family funeral on Monday, I managed to find an hour to slither around the oozing Mangrove swamps in 33 deg heat to chase these little birds lol

A tiny Plover species, the size of a Sparrow, quite common to see them on the mud flats and some beaches here....getting close is another story, however. On this occassion I couldn't get withing 50 feet or so until I layed down in the mud and played dead. After a while they ventured closer and I managed several bursts of images at close range of around 20 or so feet. Much of the time they hid behind clumps of Samphire Grass and stones, but every now and then they darted out to the next bit of cover

Canon 7D + 500 f4 + 1,4 x TC......700mm, f6.3, ISO 400, 1/5000..............hand held lying down, clear blue skies and hot ambient temps in late afternoon.....minimal editing, no crop, selective sharpen and noise reduction to backdrop

[Nick Palmieri]

Nice low angle. Whites look good. The BG generally looks good but I think if it were mine I may remove the darker band in the BG that is down near the birds legs just above the shadow...TFS

[John Cooper]

Thats a lovely sharp capture of the Red-capped plover Phil. I admire your dedication slithering around like a snake in the middle of a hot summer :)
But your efforts were rewarded with this low perspective composition of this shy little bird. The selective focus of the subject makes this plover pop from its soft OOF surroundings. Well done.

[Don Nelson]

Excellent IQ, and great low angle work. I have to agree on the background - its a simple defend and clone at 50% to lighten this, and it would be something that I would do if it were mine. That being said, its a sweet image of this small plover.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Phil, getting down and dirty has paid off nicely, and I like the placement in the frame. Overall well exposed, and I like the earthy colours on him. Is this a Juvi, or a fully grown individual.

[PhilCook]

Hi Phil, getting down and dirty has paid off nicely, and I like the placement in the frame. Overall well exposed, and I like the earthy colours on him. Is this a Juvi, or a fully grown individual.

Thanks Stuart, this is a fully grown adult male, they are only tiny { good things in small packages }

[PhilCook]

Thanks for the kind comments folks, I agree about the dark band, to be rectified

[Shawn Zierman]

Sweet little plover, handsome plumage, don't think I've ever seen one before.
The low angle is spot on and well handled with the feet and a little fg nicely focused.

[David Salem]

Nice shot Phil. Techs look great and a nice low angle makes for a great capture. Like the comp too and the black band isnt a big deal to me. Well done

[Frank Schauf]

Such a lovely bird. I like the background, pose and details.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Ah, slithering around photographing shorebirds may be my favorite scenario of bird photography! You handled what looks like harsh light well, and the sharpness is very good. Your patience paid off...

[Karl Egressy]

Sucha lovely bird. Excellent low shooting angle, and nice pose, Phil. Love the smooth background.

[Tim King]

Nice shot, Phil. Love the pose and fluffy feathers.