Spotted Sandpiper with prey

[Scott Grant]

This is the second image i've posted from this series of images taken about a month ago in Gros Morne national park, Newfoundland, Canada. i really like the prey item from this image. sun angle wasn't ideal as it is coming a little from the left, but unfortunatly the beach rose too high to make a shallow DOF image such as this so i choose to shoot at this angle.

techs as follows:
D300
500VR with 1.7X converter
1/1250th
f7.1
ISO 400

processed in NX2.

thanks in advance!

[Steve Canuel]

Light angle looks ok to me. I like the colors of the BG rock as well as the FG seaweed (although I might crop out about half of it). I might also try to lighten the BG shadows in front of the bird. I like the lifted leg and the food in his bill.

[Gyorgy Szimuly]

Awesome image. Any chance to get a pic of the prey in the bill? Looks like a larva of a crayfish. Would be nice to ID it by experts.
By the way, I love the plumage and the pose. Composition and the visibility of bg elements is nice. White foreground reflections might take eyes away.

Szimi

[Ed Schneider]

Hey, Scott! As mentioned, you might lighten BG, but it isn't too distracting as is. I like the light angle, as the shadow on the right of the subject is not too dark. Congrats on the interesting prey item as well. That eye draws you right in!

[Scott Grant]

Awesome image. Any chance to get a pic of the prey in the bill? Looks like a larva of a crayfish. Would be nice to ID it by experts.
By the way, I love the plumage and the pose. Composition and the visibility of bg elements is nice. White foreground reflections might take eyes away.

Szimi

Szimi, this is almost a 100% crop from the original. hope this shows enough detail to ID!

[Steve Maxson]

The bird is very nicely done and the raised leg and prey item are big pluses. I find the lights and darks of the background mildly distracting, but I'm not sure you could have done better under the circumstances. In case it is of interest, this bird is a female (lots of large spots extending onto the belly - males have smaller and fewer spots). The prey item looks like a marine isopod or amphipod to me.

[Gyorgy Szimuly]

Thanks a lot Scott. We give it a try :)

Szimi

[Arthur Morris]

Scott, right now the original is not available....

[Scott Grant]

thanks for the information Steve! i have much to learn!

Arthur, i see it fine in my first post.

maybe if i link it again?

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks Scott, I see it in the pane above but not in the first pane. There is still a notice from flickr there with red and blue type. First off, welcome. Image quality and SH are fantastic. These guys are hard to get in breeding plumage where I come from: NYC. Some of the black stuff on the rock that it is standing on is distracting with the black twig (???) by the bird's foot leading the league.

[Scott Grant]

thanks for the welcome Arthur and also the critique. both are much appreciated!