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Thread: Long-Billed Curlew Ejects Pellet

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    Default Long-Billed Curlew Ejects Pellet

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    Canon 1D4
    500mm
    Gitzo/Wimberley spread low

    1/2000 sec
    ISO 1000
    f/4.5

    Took this on a Fort Myers beach on a cloudy afternoon about 10 days ago. Hadn't known until this happened that some shorebirds do this. Not the best shot ever, but I thought it was so interesting behaviorally that I wanted to share it with my fellow BPNers.
    I got this shot as well as one just a fraction of a second earlier where head is angled towards me and you can see the bolus emerging up through the throat.

    Slight crop, a small amount of Detail Extraction in Nik, sharpening, a few blobs cloned out. Some darkening of BG in Viveza, there was a lot of glare and I had to overexpose the BG to get detail on the bird.
    Thank you for looking. All C and C greatly encouraged and appreciated.

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    I liked this one. A funny image. Nice BG.

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    Great timing and love the way the bird pops from the high key background.

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    Lifetime Member Marina Scarr's Avatar
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    What an awesome behavior capture, Melissa. It's not often that you even see this, never mind capture it.
    Marina Scarr
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    Totally agree with Marina. I would rather have this type of behavior shot over just standard portrait.

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    Interesting now the bird remains on one leg while doing this. Must have good balance.

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    Excellent shot. Great behavior captured. Great shooting angle, excellent detail, very nice light, and excellent timing.
    Very well done.

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    Super Moderator arash_hazeghi's Avatar
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    nice behavior sharp and nice soft light.
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    Awesome behavioural.
    Totally love the whole combination of tongue poking out, spit trail leading to pellet and the pellet against the upper mandible. That alone would make a cool abstract(y) type photograph.
    Reflection in the eye is nice.
    I love it!!

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    Forum Participant christopher galeski's Avatar
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    very nice image,love the light,nice detail,I had some shots of a redshank casting a pellet,but lost them on my old computer,when it decided to die.thanks.

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    Avian Moderator Randy Stout's Avatar
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    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    Melissa:

    Great behavioural shot, I have never seen a pellet from a shorebird. Good shooting angle, timing.

    I find the image a little too bright for my tastes. Ran a luminosity layer, used the multiply blend mode set at 50%, to tone down the highlights a bit. Lots of options here!

    I like
    MY BPN ALBUMS

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    Thanks for all the comments. Randy, I like what you've done here. Just duplicated it at home and definitely looks better. Thanks a bunch!

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    Thanks for posting this! I have never seen this before. I like the repost better.

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    Perfect comp and bg, nice work!

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