What's for lunch?

Exposure looks good as does overall sharpness. Based on the shadows, this was capture with some pretty harsh light. A lower angle would have provided a stronger image. The tail and shadow of the bird in the background is a distraction.

Nice interaction shot ! I always start imagining the conversations , cheers, Hans

Wierd looking fellas !! Good action picture. Now its been mentioned I agree about the black oof bird in the back. Mind you lookingagain it does balance the pic out a bit.
Cheers
JR

Keith Thanks, I did think of the tail after the fact, but these guys were pretty animated and I wanted to get the shot with the juvenile's mouth open so I had to act fast. It was shot at about 9:30 in the morning and that light does get harsh on the very refective beach.

Hans, thanks so much - I love taking those shots with the creatures interacting. I am anxious to post a pelican and seagull pair that hang out together and do somem serious relatng!

Hi John, they are fascinating birds. They fly along the surface and skim the water with their beak picking up their seafood faire. That's why the top part of the beak is shorter than the skimming bottom. Fascinating creatures, and it always amazes me when the adults and juveniles look so totally different.

Very nice, Sandy. Excellent dof and I do like the interaction. It's fun that the log and shadow above imitate the shape of the juvenile. Nice job on the exposure of a difficult contrast.

Thanks so much Dennis, it can get a bit challenging out there on the beach with the brutal sun and the sand and water reflecting the light. Thanks for pointing out the shadow - I really had not noticed it! It is analgous to asking an artist what he or she means by their work. Often times the observer can see things that the artist was not consciousoy aware of, but it came out in the art. Of course that's not the case with the shadows, but again, until you mentioned it my eyes were always drawn to that cheeky juvenile Black Skimmer giving mom a hard time! :)