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Black-bellied Plover
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Black-bellied Plover

by Harry Harris

Gallery: AvianPosted August 2, 201154 views3 comments
While walking the elevated trail at Bolsa Chica, I spotted my first BBP with a black tummy. I have only seen them in winter feathers. This was fun and the little guy put on a show, running around chasing other birds away from a female which he was staying near.

C&Cs appreciated.

Cropped to about 50% of original image.

08-01-2011 7:07 a.m.
Canon 7D with EF 500mm f / 4.0
1/800 @ f / 5.6
ISO 500
AV
Exp comp + 1/3

Comments

3 comments
Comment posted by Jim Hackley on August 3, 2011 at 3:27 PM
What an interesting color scheme to this plover. Good detail on the larger version, maybe a lower perspective would of helped but not sure if this was possible.
Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments
Comment posted by Dennis Plank on August 3, 2011 at 11:12 PM
Nice detail, Skip. A bit of a head turn would have been nice, but it's cool to see the black belly.
:toast:
Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments
Comment posted by Mia McPherson on August 4, 2011 at 2:06 PM
Skip,

I remember when I saw and photographed my first Black-bellied Plover in near breeding plumage, I was so tickled. I'm tickled for you.

Seeing as that you were on an elevated trial I suspect you could not get any lower angle than shown here. I think it is low enough. What I might do is crop a bit from the bottom so that the plover isn't so centered top to bottom which reduces a bit of the OOF foreground. I also might reduce the brightness just a tiny amount to see if you can tease a little more detail out of the whites of the hea and shoulder. I like the pose and the eye contact.
Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments