Unidentified Shorebird

Gallery: AvianPosted June 29, 2012113 views9 comments

While at Bolsa Chica this morning, the low light made shooting the Black Skimmers challenging. This little fellow came along and proceeded to catch this crab. A previous photo showed him with the missing leg in his beak and the crab in the air as the shaking dismembered the crab. While I don't know the species, I have determined he is a sous chef based on the amount of time he spent fussing with his meal.

Nikon D800 Nikkor 200-400 400mm white balance auto manual f/8 1/1250 ISO400 cropped in CS6 RAW

Comments welcome

Comments

9 comments

Comment posted by Raymond Klassen on June 30, 2012 at 12:24 AM

Nice action here. I think I would darken the highlights a bit, although it looks like tough lighting. As for the species, I'm not certain, but a yellowlegs maybe?

Registered on November 30, 2008, 114 Posts, 790 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on June 30, 2012 at 6:55 AM

Patrick, this appears to be a Willet. Tough lighting.

Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Balke on June 30, 2012 at 9:07 AM

Very interesting action shot, Patrick. That light is tough to deal with. However, I bet with a little more decrease in exposure on the bird in post processing you could bring out more detail.

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

Comment posted by Rick Turner on June 30, 2012 at 10:24 AM

Good moment of capture. I agree that a bit too bright and contrasty.

Registered on February 18, 2012, 534 Posts, 2755 Comments

Comment posted by Alan Murphy on June 30, 2012 at 12:20 PM

Great action. Light not the best.

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

Comment posted by Patrick O'Healy on June 30, 2012 at 3:19 PM

Registered on March 13, 2011, 326 Posts, 1679 Comments

Comment posted by Patrick O'Healy on June 30, 2012 at 3:23 PM

Followed suggestions

Registered on March 13, 2011, 326 Posts, 1679 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Balke on June 30, 2012 at 11:11 PM

The repost looks great, Patrick! (You could add "+repost" to the title of your image to encourage others who have already examined it to return to have a look.)

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

Comment posted by John Tobias on July 1, 2012 at 9:19 AM

Really like the re-post. Nice capture of the action. Thanks for re-doing and sharing.

Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments