Dotterel

[William Dickson]

Canon 5D Mkiii
f/2.8 300mm with 2x TCiii
f/6.3
1/2000
ISO 640

Yesterday, my wife, and I decided to walk to the summit of Cairngorm, (a wee bit difficult with camera and gear) . My intention was to get to the summit, then walk another mile in search of Dotterel. The time we reached the summit, we both decided that we had walked far enough and at this stage we were both sat down for a wee while to catch our breath. About 20 metres from the summit I saw this chick running around on the rocks, we walked towards it, and at that point the attached Dotterel showed itself, and hung around long enough for me to capture a few images. So, we didn't need to walk any further apart from back down the way

It was well worth the effort

Thanks for having a look

[Geoffrey Montagu]

What a story of perseverance. It certainly paid off. Love the light, FG grasses, smooth BG and IQ. The only thing I might suggest is to tone down the large light rock to the right. It draws my eye away from this beautiful bird.





Geoffrey

[Karl Egressy]

Beautiful image. It would look better if you brought out the natural light in the eye.
I did a one minute work to show the difference.

Eye with linear dodge and linear burn in stacked layers.

[William Dickson]

Thanks for that Karl. What would be the best way to tone down the large rock as Geoffrey suggested?

[gail bisson]

This is very nice. What a great bird! I love the setting and the low light and the perky pose.
The clean rock perch and the visible feet are a plus.
I would definitely tone down the white rock that intersects with the bill.
Would love to see this bird in real life.
I climbed the Cairngorm about 20 years ago so appreciate the effort you needed.
The best way to tone down is to use the select the bird, then do command J to create a new layer then go back to the original picture and use the burn tool to tone down the white without touching the bird.

[Robert Kimbrell]

A really nice shot. Great details and I like the setting, I like how Karl adjusted the eye.

[Sidharth Kodikal]

Gorgeous bird, and what a lovely natural setting you got him in. The bird is angled perfectly and I like its size in the frame. I like where Karl was going with reducing the brightness of the OOF white bg rock.

[John Robinson]

Agree with the above comments and what a great shot. Light not too harsh.
John

[christopher galeski]

nice one William,agree with comments above,I wonder if it is one of the birds ,that stop off on Pendle hill near to were I live,they some time stay a couple of weeks before they set of for Scotland every year.well done.

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

Beautiful image. It would look better if you brought out the natural light in the eye.
I did a one minute work to show the difference.

Eye with linear dodge and linear burn in stacked layers.

Karl to be hones I don´t see any difference! please explain where should I look!

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

Very lovely indeed. I will stay with the OP. and just love the light and habitat where this handsome bird lives.

[Bill Dix]

Beautiful bird, pose and setting. Good advice above; toning down the rock is easy as Gail suggests, and will net a big improvement to an already lovely image. Good narrative, too; nice the way things can turn out (at least some of the time).

[William Dickson]

nice one William,agree with comments above,I wonder if it is one of the birds ,that stop off on Pendle hill near to were I live,they some time stay a couple of weeks before they set of for Scotland every year.well done.

Hi Chris

My friend(who knows about these birds) tells me that a few are now nesting in England,I am sure he said pennines. I was lucky to capture this one as they are always nesting approx 1 mile from the summit. It is a total roll reversal, when the nesting season begins. The male takes on all responsibility for the egg and chick

A strange fact about these birds is that they nest above 3000 feet in Scotland, yet, in Holland where it is flat, they will nest on a bunch of rocks about 3 feet high

I found this interesting

Dotterel is among our most vibrant, photogenic and peculiar waders. Now very rare elsewhere in Britain as a breeding bird, it is one of Scotland's most iconic species, its image conjuring thoughts of windswept, rocky plateaux, most likely in the Cairngorms. On passage, however, it is just as content to pause in a lowland field as by the summit of a remote hill and the North African semi-desert wintering grounds of our population are far removed from the classic backdrop most commonly associated with the species. Literature has long insulted the bird, calling it a "fool" for its confiding nature, which made it something of a sitting target when it suffered from regular persecution from at least the Middle Ages until the early 20th century. Indeed, the bird's meat and feathers were once a sought-after commodity and the annual hunting of 'trips', as migrant flocks of Dotterel are known, in the spring became almost as much of a tradition as the gatherings of the keenly anticipated birds themselves. In fact, the birds gave their name to a Yorkshire inn and two halls in Cambridgeshire, both being counties which drew shooters from far and wide to join in the annual fest. Today, the bird's friendly nature makes it popular with birders as patient, responsible viewing is almost bound to result in memorable encounters and brilliant photographs.

William