Well, there are semi's and then there are Semi's. Love the light in this one, Jim, also the strong compositional element of the catchlight in the plover's eye. BG foliage is mildly distracting but also gives a nice sense of scale. Nice group portrait, and the F9 shot gave an adequate DOF for all the birds.
Nice one Jim, i agree with Keith about the foliage being mildly distracting but the sense of habitat it gives along with the sand i find appealing at the same time.
Hi Jim: This picture really works. Love the FG and the BG. The birds are nice and sharp. The one with his head up really makes the shot. The only thing that could improve this picture is if the back bird were not facing away and the right bird were not in mid-movement. If all but one had been tucked away, it would have been over the top. Marina