Am. oystercatcher

Gallery: AvianPosted May 20, 2011108 views20 comments

Went out after some oystercatchers again. This bird was nice enough to pose on a piece of driftwood for me. Another pair of oystercatchers had a nest on an island near where this image was taken and the nest hatched. There are now two very small oystercatchers running around with the male and female. I don't want to get too close to them and they are so small there just is no photo op yet. As they grow and get to a size where they can be photographed from a distance I will hopefully get some shots of them. For now, just this adult.

I kept my ISO high even though the light was perfect so I could keep a very high SS. Needed this SS due to a heavy chop on the water that made getting steady shots very difficult. It worked out well IMO.

Please view larger version for max details. Thanks so much.

Canon 1DM4
500mm f/4 + 1.4x TC
ISO 1000
1/5000s
f/7.1
Manual exp.
Hand held from my boat
70% of FF
Not baited or harassed in any way

Comments

20 comments

Comment posted by John Robinson on May 20, 2011 at 4:01 PM

Nice positioning and beautiful exposure on this one.
JohnR

Registered on March 2, 2008, 535 Posts, 2453 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on May 20, 2011 at 6:37 PM

I'd never have suspected ISO 1000 on this - looks clean with good detail and nice sharpness.

Nice composition here with the perch, head turn and raised foot. If you don't mind diverting from reality slightly you could selectively darken the perch a little.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on May 20, 2011 at 6:58 PM

Well made, Ron! I like the pose, the perch and the lack of noise. I've seen a bunch of oystercatchers before, but none on a branch! The branch seems a tad bright.

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on May 20, 2011 at 7:18 PM

Thanks for the comments. Just some background info based on the comments so far. Up to ISO 1000 the Mk. 4 is very clean as long as you don't have to crop much. 70% crop is not much for this camera based on my experiences with it so far.

The branch is driftwood that has been bleached by the sun and salt. As Rich stated, what is presented in the image is accurate for brightness as far as how it appeared at the time this image was shot. However, toning it down is def an option as it seems it is an issue with some viewers.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on May 20, 2011 at 7:29 PM

here is the image with the driftwood perch toned down by 19%. Better?

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Alan Murphy on May 20, 2011 at 7:39 PM

Oystercatcher on a branch is not something you see every day. Great shot.

Registered on December 3, 2003, 192 Posts, 739 Comments

Comment posted by Terry Sohl on May 20, 2011 at 8:01 PM

Wonderful! Terrific pose and composition, and you did a great job on a tough exposure.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 513 Posts, 6889 Comments

Comment posted by Terry Sohl on May 20, 2011 at 8:01 PM

Wonderful! Terrific pose and composition, and you did a great job on a tough exposure.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 513 Posts, 6889 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on May 20, 2011 at 8:48 PM

Ron, I really like the coy delicacy of that pose with the foot up and that head turn. Great IQ on this and your exposure looks very good. I think the perch in your repost does look better. Nicely done.

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Balke on May 20, 2011 at 8:56 PM

Great pose, Ron. I too prefer the repost.

Registered on June 18, 2009, 229 Posts, 2915 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Canuel on May 20, 2011 at 8:58 PM

Nice, dynamic pose and he chose a great perch for you. I think this is one of the first I've seen with a nice rounded pupil.

Registered on September 12, 2010, 53 Posts, 660 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on May 20, 2011 at 9:02 PM

Lovely head turn and detail - don't think I've ever seen one perched like this before

cheers
Rob

Registered on November 8, 2003, 617 Posts, 8267 Comments

Comment posted by Charles Gangas on May 20, 2011 at 11:01 PM

Wonderful job on both the detail and the exposure. The light is excellent, and I like the head turn and the dance step. Really nice image Ron.

Registered on August 12, 2009, 544 Posts, 2414 Comments

Comment posted by May Haga on May 21, 2011 at 10:01 AM

Excellent image Ron. I like the way the oystercatcher is looking back and I also like the green out-of-focus foliage on the right. For me it balances the image.
May

Registered on February 22, 2007, 714 Posts, 8470 Comments

Comment posted by KC Choo on May 21, 2011 at 10:04 AM

I'd say it worked out well, Ron!

Registered on November 15, 2004, 519 Posts, 8278 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Leggett on May 21, 2011 at 1:08 PM

Very different, Ron. Never seen one perched on anything but sand.

Registered on July 21, 2004, 706 Posts, 3233 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on May 21, 2011 at 5:51 PM

Like the look back, leg up pose, very cool. Techs look great Ron.
Here's where the camera shines, with an ISO range for almost every circumstance.
Sharp shot - Well done.

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments

Comment posted by Simon Bennett on May 21, 2011 at 6:42 PM

Interesting pose, excellent image quality.

Registered on February 4, 2007, 350 Posts, 4614 Comments

Comment posted by Jeff Loomis on May 21, 2011 at 8:49 PM

Fabulous! That's a lot of glass to hand hold from a boat!

Your hands a steadier than mine. Great job getting such a sharp image and perfectly exposed at that.

Registered on January 26, 2010, 68 Posts, 719 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on May 22, 2011 at 12:34 AM

The nest hatched? Sure looking forward to baby nest images !

Seriously - another very fine image.
Great pose with the head-turn and raised leg, nice perch and BG, and the green branches add a lot of interest. The toned-down perch IS better.
Good luck catching the little ones soon..
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments