Long-billed Dowitchers...Peregrine's View

From the cliff above the marsh, a group of Long-billed Dowitchers

search for food. Comments and critics most welcome.

Applause, Applause, Applause!!

Nicely captured composition, William. The overexposed white on the left bird and the halo from over-sharpening around the beaks is costing points though. Regards, Dieter

First, I like Jan's comments the best! Dieter, I do not see the halo on the original. In resizing it this strange line appeared just on the bills. I dislike oversharpening intensely so this must be a compression artifact. I'd load the original but you would give me hard time about the 13 MB file

But I appreciate the advice. Gotta spend more time figuring out this oddity. Thanks.

Well William, you've done it again. In line with Gordon's view, you have your own style and it results in more that a good bird shot, they all look like fine art prints and I hope you at some point sell some for a hefty price. (Then you can buy that 500 mm you want... you must be running out of space on that office wall :) This is simply beautiful. Tried a 6/7, not able.

Very Nice, nits already mention, I like it! Regards, B.

Very Nice - I like the triangular form of the birds. Well done.

I was out in the boonies all day Sunday (Yolo Bypass Wildlife Refuge 200 miles north of home) and missed all these kind comments. I think Gordon is getting carried away, but it made for nice reading. (Gordon, just saw a field filled with well-over a hundred Mountain Plovers north of Rio Vista, CA. Needed your lens to photograph them.)

 

After driving 400 miles and birding for 10 hours Sunday, I'm pooped. I'll repost this image without the halo on the bills (need to sharpen after resizing, not before.)

 

BTW, for the bird listers, we saw SEVEN American Bitterns! Previous to yesterday I have seen three in my life. Very elusive and well-hidden birds normally.

 

Mary Fran, not a single goose in the refuge. We saw Tundra Swans and Ross' Geese flying way up in the sky but not one on the ground. Hopefully in two weeks I'll see them further south in the Central Valley of CA.

 

Again, thank you all for the advice and kind comments.

Very Beautiful, also such good frame!

I appreciate your nice comments. And the framing I learned from you and the other presentation experts on PN.

Wow! You are on a roll. This one is gorgeous. It also has the look of a watercolour, how do you achieve this? It's very nice. I love the earthy browns, taupes, olives and beige, so soft, subltle and understated. You have chosen a perfect frame for a perfect picture. I would have given this 7/7 but wasn't allowed.

 

Cheers,

 

Linda

As I think you are an excellent digital graphics expert, I really appreciate your comments. The earthy colors come from the surroundings and from very blah colored birds who want to blend into that environment. My contribution was selecting the three birds from the flock that looked most representative. Thanks for visiting!

When I first saw this image my first thought was 'work of art!'. It truly is a beautiful image. Normally I avoid photographing birds from above or below - I try to get onto their level where possible, but for this image the angle works perfectly (and as usual beautifully framed). Warm regards, Carole (beginner framer in need of tips!)

Top down views of birds generally don't work but this little group was just too well situated to ignore. I'll give you my framing process if you will tell me if you have a Mac or PC. I use Photoshop CS2 but I think the steps are the same in PS Elements. Do you have one of those?

I love this shot, William. It is simple, but very visually appealing. The exposure is perfect IMHO. Nicely done!

Jeff

A very nice group photo, lovely colors and lighting and the details in the feathers are excellent. You have alot of great birdphotos now and probably have many exciting places to find them. I`m really looking forward to spring and will hopefully find a few birds myself. Best regards.

This was one of those "easy" bird shots. Just peering down at them from the top of the bluff. I had time to get the correct settings and focus. Very rare opportunity when shooting fidgety birds. I printed this out last night as a 13" x 19" print and it still looks good. I'll frame it and add it to my wall collection at work. And yes, Inger, there are lots and lots of places to go in Central California to find birds. I am very luck to live where I do.

The capture is magnificent, the colors beautiful and focus just right. I love seeing their shadows on the bed and thier reflection on the water. I specially like their harmony of action, every bird's head turned to their right by about 90 Degrees.

 

Cheers.

I appreciate the nice comments, Cyrus. I have just hung it on my office wall.

I make it a habit to visit everyones site who takes the the time to comment on mine. What a nice habit this has turned out to be. One word overcame me when I first opened your gallery - clean. As I glanced over your images I kept coming back to this one. For me it epitomizes our goal. Tack sharp, clean (natural) background, soft light, excellent dynamic range, good angles, interesting subject and nice composition. In todays vernacular, sweet-dude. 7/7

Lovely, lovely shot!