Wet Feet

[Axel Hildebrandt]

I photographed this Dunlin at Barnegat Light a couple of weeks ago. There was a thin layer of clouds, which helped with the exposure.



1D3, 500f4, 1.4x, 1/1600s, f/8, EC -0.33, ISO 400

[Stu Bowie]

Axel, super comp, with him angled towards you. Excellent exposure, with good detail, and this is nice and sharp. I also like the softer colours of the water in the BG. That rock looks pretty slippery with all that slime.

[Tony Whitehead]

Lovely soft light and details, Axel. I like the texture of the water over the rock.

[Arthur Morris]

As above plus a loverly image design and a perfect HA for that body position. Though bill length varies by race this bird with a mega-long bill is surely a she.

[Ramon M. Casares]

Lovely pose, detail, soft light, BG, perch and comp. Congratulations!

[Alex Mody]

Very nice pose and background. This is exactly what I have in mind when I think about shorebirds at Barnegat. Is it decent shooting there this time of year re: shorebirds in breeding plumage? Just wondering.

[Dave Leroy]

Lovely looking photo Axel. I quess the females don't get colours this time of year.
Dave

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Very nice pose and background. This is exactly what I have in mind when I think about shorebirds at Barnegat. Is it decent shooting there this time of year re: shorebirds in breeding plumage? Just wondering.

Thanks, Alex! I haven't been at Barnegat in a few weeks. This time last year some of the migrating shorebirds such as dunlins, turnstones and sandpipers were already in full breeding plumage, others were not.

[Linda Robbins]

I like the water over the rocks and the soft light. Nice pose and head angle. Lovely all around!

[Gyorgy Szimuly]

Such a perfect image. I only wish to have a male in full breeding plumage instead :D Guess you feel the same ;)

Szimi

[Arthur Morris]

Lovely looking photo Axel. I quess the females don't get colours this time of year.
Dave

Both adult male and adult female shorebirds molt into breeding plumage each year usually at some point in the spring. The timing of this molt varies greatly with individual birds. There is a chance that the bird in this image is a one year old; they often show odd molt patterns or do not molt at all. On the other hand, it might be a adult in winter plumage that is a bit on the late side.

Check out my "Shorebirds; Beautiful Beachcombers" for a basic understanding of ageing and identifying North America shorebirds: https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=18 I would be glad to personalize a copy for you.