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Thread: Oystercatcher moment

  1. #1
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    Default Oystercatcher moment

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    Spent a wonderful evening with oystercathers, skimmers, and good friends this evening at Nickerson Beach on Long Island. This was captured as the light came to its end.

    THank you for your comments and for looking.

    1/640, ISO640, f8
    1Dmk2n, 500 +1.4tc + tripod lowered

  2. #2
    Isak Pretorius
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    What a photo! I love the interaction, soft light and low angle. Everything perfect here, well done!

  3. #3
    Ákos Lumnitzer
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    I know the light is almost faded but the interaction cannot get better. Great intimate angle too Grace. Loving this! Thanks for posting.

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    Definately agree with the others, the moment here is just priceless and the soft light adds to the mood and helps us see how special this moment is.

    Only tiny tiny thing would be lack of catch light in the juvi's eye.

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    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    This is certainly an endearing moment. I have never encountered or even heard of such an accepting AMOY family. You guys are way lucky. With me able to see all of the squares on the calibration strip I can confidently say that the darks (especially) and middle-tones here are too dark. Shadow-Highlight would be a great help. Don't forget to increase the midtone contrast after lightening to prevent the muddy look.

    It is too hard to tell in this dark version, but there is a possibility that lightening the iris of the chick (is the eye visible???) would make this a ton better after overall lightening. It's amazing how the details in the face and even the eye disappear with a slight head turn away from us. In this case, of course, there was nothing that you could do as the chick was accepting a tidbit from the adult.

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  6. #6
    Ed Prete
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    excellent capture Grace. Had I not only had the dentist, or work, or everyday life... LOL

    great interaction and agree about the catchlight. These little guys are tough to get some nice catchlight with. I think this could also use a little bit of a clockwise rotation, by about 1/2 a degree.

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    Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. I like this moment alot and will revisit the post processing and try to implement them. Yes, Artie, the eye is quite visible in the larger tiff file, the black pupil and the brown iris. Will read my notes from the LI seminar and remind myself how to bring it out. The way the chick was turned to the adult eliminated the possibility of a catch light, that's the way it was. The scene was dark, I left it that way because that's what I saw, but I can see how it could be improved for this purpose by lightening it.

    As an aside to the photography discussion, there are probably 40 adult oc's at Nickerson, yet only 3 chicks. These two parents are really quite tame and as long as we sit still, they will allow the babies to come right up to our tripods. (Some photogs have been a bit agressive...that rarely works, and is not good for the birds.) Skimmers are hatching right in front of us. We are fortunate.

  8. #8
    Axel Hildebrandt
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    I love the mood you captured in this image. Adding to the other comments, maybe a tad CW rotation. The adult/chick ratio is not good. Too many people/predators?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Axel Hildebrandt View Post
    I love the mood you captured in this image. Adding to the other comments, maybe a tad CW rotation. The adult/chick ratio is not good. Too many people/predators?
    As this is a fairly busy bathing beach it is amazing that one chick will fledge. I am 99% sure that the great majority if not all of the adults are simply roosting there.

    Does anyone know if there were any failed nests at Nickerson. Also of interest would be to see if there are fledged flying young in the group of 40.
    BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.

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    Artie and Axel

    i don't know about failed nests, but there are no flying fledged young in the group. these are the only chicks.

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    Super shot Grace.. It was an beautiful evening and great light. One of the chicks walked right up to me as mom was calling. Itg was worth getting wet !

    Artie I looked for additional chicks last night, No more OCs that I saw, the least tern population looks good and a few piping plovers. The skimmer chicks hatched right in front of us. My wife as a few shots of mom cleaning out the dripping egg shell. Also a group of gulls are gathering by the colony...............

    Nickerson is no longer a busy human beach.. there were maybe 20 people around last night.

    Lou

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    Sounds great. My original point to Axel was that there was likely only one breeding pair there and that the rest were just roosting birds. I had assumed that Nickerson got some beach traffic on nice days and weekends as it is a county (?) park; do they have lifeguards there?
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  13. #13
    Ed Prete
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    what was interesting for Nickeson was the lack of traffic on Saturday, but Sunday had a lot more bathers. And I do believe there are lifeguards.

  14. #14
    Axel Hildebrandt
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    Artie,

    Do you mean they do not attempt to nest or try somewhere else later or earlier in the year? That would be another interesting topic for the behavior forum. Which shorebirds/waders nest in the north and which in the south?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Axel Hildebrandt View Post
    Artie, Do you mean they do not attempt to nest or try somewhere else later or earlier in the year? That would be another interesting topic for the behavior forum. Which shorebirds/waders nest in the north and which in the south?
    I am 99% sure that none of the 40 adult birds tried to nest at Nickerson; they go there to roost. They may be failed or finished nesters or they may be non-breeders. I wrote lots more here in the new Avian info forum:

    http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...384#post114384

    Everyone is invited to vist to see what John and others have to say. As for your last question, most of that info is available in lots of different reference books and as I am sure that you know, the Northeast has Willets, oystercatchers, Piping Plovers, and the occasional Spotted Sandpiper. (Did I leave any out?) In Florida we have all of those but for the pipings and you can add Wilson's and Snowy Plovers. The rest are plinas, sub-arctic, or arctic nesters... Highly reccomended: my Shorebirds; Beautiful Beachcombers.
    BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.

    BIRDS AS ART Online Store: we will not sell you junk. 35 years of long lens experience. Please e-mail with gear questions.

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  16. #16
    Beth Goffe
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    I was at Nickerson on the 2nd weekend (I think) of June and I saw one OC family with 2 chicks on the extreme west end of the enclosure and another family with one chick on the extreme east end up in the dunes. Very possible that some just didn't make it.

  17. #17
    Len Maltese
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    Very nice image Grace. You got some good suggestions. Looks like I missed a good night.

  18. #18
    Judy Lynn Malloch
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    Wow love this image Grace. What a privelege to see the adult and chick together. Excellent capture with wonderful detail and composition !!!

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