Whimbrel #2

[gail bisson]

Canon 1Dx
600mm and 2x extender
ISO 800 F9.0 SS 1/2500
This was the only flight shot I managed of the whimbrels. The birds were really getting comfortable with me as I crawled my way towards them until a !@#$%%$# ATV drove through the field behind them.
Still happy with this one because I was handholding with my elbows on the ground supporting the lens.
PP Crop to ~70%, raised exposure by half a stop, levels, NR to BG, DE to bird at 2% and USM to JPEG.I enhanced the existing eye highlight by doubling its size.
Comments and critiques always appreciated and learned from with thanks,
Gail

[Karl Egressy]

Excellent take off pose in nice green habitat, Gail.
Some lucky people took some pictures of this rare bird here at Niagara Falls
but it is gone now.

[Sidharth Kodikal]

Love the dangling legs and the bit of motion blur in the wing tips. The pose and angle are pretty darned good too. Just wish the head/beak wasn't overlapping the wing, but you did very well given the circumstance.
A keeper for sure.

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

Nicely done considering the circumstances Gail.
The blurring of the wingtips adds a nice dynamic to the image and I like the bg and dangling feet.
HA is fine by me.
TFS.

Sent from my GT-I9305 using Tapatalk

[christopher galeski]

Nice takeoff pose,some nice detail,like the environment.TFS.

[Geoff Newhouse]

Great image Gail. Love the action, background and foreground. In a perfect world the bird's left wing wouldn't intersect the head but who really cares....not me:)

TFS
Geoff