Hawaiian Stilt (Ae'o)

[dankearl]

Taken in the Taro ponds near Hanalei, Kauia.
The Hawaiian Stilts are a different subspecies than the mainland Stilts and
are endangered. They were extremely skittish and difficult to approach even
though they were in ponds where one could not get very close.
This one appears to have a deformed foot.

1/1600, f8, iso400, 320mm, (70-200 w/ 2x), D800, HH


DSC_9502bp3.jpg

[David Levinson]

Beautiful bird and nice pose. Great shot!

[Arthur Morris]

Image is sharp. Exposure is good. I like the raised foot. Pointing the camera a bit more to the right would have moved the bird back in the frame and given the veggies on the right a bit more room. The bad news is that the bank and the mud are displeasing....

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Dan, love the pointed toe pose, and overall well exposed, as some of the green sheen shows up nicely. Although you stated this a different subspecies of stilt, he still looks pretty small - is it a juvie?

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Dan, love the pointed toe pose, and overall well exposed, as some of the green sheen shows up nicely. Although you stated this a different subspecies of stilt, he still looks pretty small - is it a juvie?

Stu, Size has zero to do with age in birds. Most birds are on average a bit larger than the adults when they leave the nest or when they fledge. Also, it is impossible to judge size without any reference :).