These guys are mostly Dunlin with maybe a Western sp or Least sp mixed in. No real detail in the birds but I like the comp:). Image captured handheld on the northern California coast this past weekend. Almost full frame with a little cropped off the top and bottom. PP'ed in CS3, selectively sharpened the birds only with Nik Sharpener Pro.
Camera Model: NIKON D200
Shutter speed: 1/320 sec
Aperture: 4.5
Exposure mode: Manual
Flash: Off
Metering mode: Multi-segment
ISO: 400
Lens: VR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D
Focal length: 400mm
AF mode: AF-C
I'm with you, Dan...there's something about the comp on this one and then the soft, muted colors take it over the top. Very nice! I bet it would also work if you took it to the other end of the spectrum and went high key with it.