This is one of the common migratory waders that comes to Australia for the summer. The bird shown is in juvenile plumage with chestnut colours and has recently arrived in southern Australia from the breeding grounds in northern Siberia.
Canon 5DIII + 600 mm f/4L II + 1.4x III extender, hand-held.
Manual, spot metering, spot AF, f/8, 1/3200 sec, ISO 800.
Sweet looking individual with beautiful plumage. The extended foot, reflection on the belly and emerging drop from the bill are fine details. Light was just on the edge, but well handled. I would remove the tiny second catchlight and remove the few white spots on the bill. One last thing, the thick wave to the right of the bird's face maybe could be toned down. (It is always annoying when the perfect pose doesn't have the wave in the best spot.)
Love the brightly colored, fresh juvie plumage. The pose is excellent. Techs are perfect. The water drip on the bill and the water bead right out from the bird's toes are nice features to the image. I dream of finding this species in my region. Sometimes I'm nervous that I will overlook a pectoral sandpiper and it will be one of these...they can look very similar at this age.
So sweet. I love the walking pose and the water bead. Low angle works well. Although the lower catchlight appeared naturally from reflecting off the water I think I too would be tempted to remove it. I'd also eliminate the small dark speck near the edge at lower left. Highly appealing colours in the BG!
Great pose from a beautiful shorebird. The raised foot with water drop add to the image. I don't mind the thick wave, but would second Grace's other suggestions for highlight removal.
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
