Birds in Habitat: Long-billed Curlew

[David Pugsley]

I'm always thrilled to find this visitor to Ft. DeSoto, FL.

1D MkIII
EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L
1/500 f/10
+2/3 EV
ISO 400

[Dave Blinder]

Nice pose, and love the habitat. Though light looks harsh, the exposure looks good. I might try to add a catchlight to its eye.

[Mike Milicia]

Agree with Dave's critique. Would add that white at the top is a bit distracting for me.

[Julie Brown]

Nice pose and I like the detail of the wings. I'm assuming the white band at the top is sand?? I can see why it is included as part of the habitat. I might crop down from the top a bit.

[David Pugsley]

Nice pose and I like the detail of the wings. I'm assuming the white band at the top is sand?? I can see why it is included as part of the habitat. I might crop down from the top a bit.

Correct. The white is a sand dune beyond the shoreline vegetation.

@Dave. Yes, I shot this later than I would have liked thus the light was a bit harsh. I debated about adding a catch light. I'll have a go at it since it was suggested.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Hey David, you got yourself a nice pose from the Curlew, and I like the blues and greens. I too find the whitish bar above a bit distracting. You could either crop it out, or fill it in with more green via the clone tool (if it is within your post-processing ethics). A catchlight would bring life to your subject therefore yes it is highly recommended to add one. P.S. fill-flash would have done the trick in-camera for you, and also help with the shadow under the wing.

[David Pugsley]

Hey David, you got yourself a nice pose from the Curlew, and I like the blues and greens. I too find the whitish bar above a bit distracting. You could either crop it out, or fill it in with more green via the clone tool (if it is within your post-processing ethics). A catchlight would bring life to your subject therefore yes it is highly recommended to add one. P.S. fill-flash would have done the trick in-camera for you, and also help with the shadow under the wing.

Thanks for the comments. This was taken before I purchased my flash and Better Beamer and served as a reminder why I needed it. :)
Cheers