Piping Plover family

[Isaac Grant]

Here is a kind of fun shot of a family of Piping Plovers. Can you count how many babies are huddled under there? Photo taken at Breezy Point in Queens, NY on 6/17/16.

Canon 7d2 and Canon 500 f4 ii + 1.4 x iii. ISO 400, F9, SS 1/1600. Tripod mounted while lying on sand.

Converted in DPP 4. Auto white balance. Focus on the eye of the adult. In PS I cropped, sharpened and applied noise reduction to background.

[William Dickson]

This is different Isaac and very sweet. Great low POV and nice feather detail on the bird. The surround and BG completes the scene.

Well done and TFS

Will

[Tim Foltz]

Isaac,
Sweet shot, nice and sharp, nice BG and very cute.

-Tim

[Arthur Morris]

Love the low angle and the the perfect EXP. I'd say four chicks because I count four sets of chick legs. I have never heard of a five-chick clutch with any shorebird species... What confuses me is the thing that looks like a foot pointing to our right below momma's tail. Is that a foot or is is a piece of something?

a

[Isaac Grant]

There are 5 chicks Arthur. What you are seeing on the right is a chick that is sitting down and has its leg on the floor and foot facing out. I have photos with up to 7 birds huddling under or near the parents. There were also 2 sets of adults so it seemed that they had combined their clutches and were doing some sort of communal baby sitting. Not a behavior I had ever seen Piping Plovers do before.

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks for the explanation. It all makes sense :)

a

[Daniel Cadieux]

I love it Isaac! Good comp, colours, and of course the behaviour. Nicely done man.

[Marina Scarr]

What a special image and moment you've captured here.