Most of you don't know that I run a RBA (rare bird alert) for the NYC Metro area called Metro Birding Briefs. It is for reporting the rarer birds that show up and this is definitely one of them. This bird was at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. There is a small puddle on one of the old runways that for some reason, shorebirds are attracted to. Besides for the Buff-breasted there was also Baird's Sandpiper, another "Metro" bird which I'll post tomorrow.
Canon Mark IV, Canon 500f/4, 1.4X TC, ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/1600s
Last edited by Lloyd Spitalnik; 09-03-2010 at 02:17 AM.
Lloyd, So that was what you meant by face down on the tarmac. Fantastic capture-wish I was there. The only one I've seen is Artie's image on the Cornell page. Beautiful feather detail and pose. TFS. Looking forward to your Baird's. Was Kevin with you?:)
Congrats on the sightings, I'm sure they were fun to report! Colours look great and the head turn perfect. I realize you prefer to crop tighter to showcase the subject, but I personally prefer a looser comp. In a ny case, pointing your lens down a bit more would have moved the bird higher in the frame in a positive manner (reversing the current amount of space top and bottom).
A wonderful image Lloyd of this rare beauty. No one works harder than you at finding the birds that you do, and your enthusiasm for them is infectious. As for a critique of the image, I might remove the smaller of the two catchlights and loosen up the comp just a bit if you have it (esp on the bottom), but no problem if you don't . Would love to have this one in my files!!
Wow, that's a really nice catch. I have been out the last 4 mornings trying to get 4 B.B.S.'s on a sod farm by my house. Great colors and light. I too wish for a bit more room especially in the bottom if you have it.
Thanks everybody for your comments. I too wish for more room on the bottom. This is not the crop I wanted. Here's the problem. There is a reflection below the bird but it gets cut off by an ugly muddy edge to this little pool. There was no way else to crop it, unfortunately:). I have several more images to work on so we'll see what happens.
Sweet bird and photo. Could go a bit lighter overall. Uncommon or possibly rare but regular would be more accurate I believe than rare.
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.
Check out the new SONY e-Guide and videos that I did with Patrick Sparkman here. Ten percent discount for BPN members,
Hi Artie,
Rare but regular is a good way of putting it. we got a few in most years but not every one. The image represents the light I saw the bird in. I could lighten it a bit. I have so many more to work on so I'll do one your way, then :)
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
Reply With Quote
