Clapper Rail

[Gayle Clement]

There were almost a dozen rails around a small pond at Bolivar Flats. Some even lingered in the road! I waited for one to get into a fairly uncluttered area of the pond.

Small amount of water croppd below and behind the bird.

Bolivar Flats, Texas
Nikon D2Xs
Nikkor 500mm f/4
Nikkor 1.4 TC-EII
1/500s @ f/5.6
ISO 100
-0.7 EV

[Alfred Forns]

Lovely bird Gayle !!! Sure would like to see him with an all blue water bg !!!

I know you are trying to minimize the bg but framing wise would like some taken from the bottom reflection and seeing more room up top. I like the pose very much and feather reproduction !!!! Also like the water swirl around the foot !!! Excellent !!!!

[Daniel Cadieux]

I agree with Al composition-wise. Also, the eye looks soft...perhaps from subject movement. Don't be scared to use higher ISOs to give yourself more shutter speed...I don't remember the last time I used ISO100 for moving birds ;-)

Must have been quite a sight seeing all those rails at one time!

[Freddy Franzella]

Really nice Gayle! I like to see a little more room.

[Geurt Bloem]

A handsome subject with some nice light quality here. Ditto issues on slightly higher SS to stop movement as seen in the head/eye area.

[Kobus Tollig]

Ditto Higher IS. Also body looks a tad oversharpened. Still good effort well done

[Phil Seu]

nice light and colors. some motion blurring of head

phil seu