Golden Plover

[William Dickson]

Canon R6
f/4 400mm DO Mk2 at 800mm
f/8
1/1600
ISO 1250

One from my trip to the Isle of Mull last month. I was driving along a trackway when I noticed two birds feeding in the long grasses. Wasn't sure what kind of birds they were. I stopped, and had a closer look, and saw that it was a pair of Golden Plover and the male was in full breeding plumage. Although I had seen these kind of birds in the past, it was always difficult to get close enough for a decent shot. I then decided to see if I could get closer, and left the vehicle, took a cam net with me. Got myself positioned in the long grasses and waited. After a short time, I saw the male bird coming closer, but the grasses were restricting my view for a clean shot. At last, the bird came into view and I managed a few shots before he moved on.

HH ACR and PS

Will

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Will a nice subject to capture and the environment adds for nice separation.

To me the image is suffering from heat haze, noticeable in the BKG, but the 2x can also effect things, and the actual overall contrast in the bird is a bit hefty IMHO. Personally I would have upped the ISO to 2000 giving more wiggle room for SS as this subject could moved at anytime and it would not effect the IQ. Is this a crop?

Hope to see more from the trip.

TFS Steve

[Jonathan Ashton]

Will, I get the impression the bird is in focus yet not sharp. i.e. not showing detail, Steve mentioned heat haze - could be but I guess you were pretty close and this wasn't cropped much or at all??

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Will a super find and glad you managed a couple of shots !!!
Subject does look nice in the long grass . Colors looking good , albeit I would give them more depth .... but selectively !!
For whatever reason the IQ has suffered somehow across the image ... you might know it better than us . Whether it is your processing or already the base raw file ....

Besides that , nice to see a different species . Do they breed up on Mull or just a migratory species . We have no more breeding birds in Germany

TFS Andreas

Are you already becoming nervous ? Euro 24 does come closer

[William Dickson]

Thanks for that guys. I should have mentioned, this was approx a 50% crop, as I couldn't get close enough, hence the 2X. I never thought about heat haze as it's something I have never experienced, I don't think so anyway. Thinking back to when I took the photograph it was a hot day, and the midges were attacking me. I did find it 'different' to process, yes, I think it must have been heat haze. Learn something new everyday

Hi Andreas, Yes they nest on the hills.

Not nervous, actually looking forward to Euro 24. Beating Spain in the qualifiers was good

Will

[Andreas Liedmann]

Not nervous, actually looking forward to Euro 24. Beating Spain in the qualifiers was good

Will

Wish the Bravehearts all the best , apart from one game

[Steve Kaluski]

you were pretty close and this wasn't cropped much or at all??

How can you tell Jon?

I never thought about heat haze as it's something I have never experienced

Will its an issue with mirrorless, I shot some lions over the front of a land cruiser, looks perfect in the EVF, review the files it looks like it was shot through a pair of Jons old tights. It's something you can't see, so for someone who shots from the car as you do sometimes, be aware, using converters amplyfys things.