American Bittern

Image Critiques Avian Critiques
1

American Bittern
American Bittern1555×1200 354 KB

I went down to my favorite National Wildlife Refuge yesterday (note-don’t go on the weekend-it was crazy) and found two bitterns within a few minutes of one another on the second circuit of the driving loop. This was the first. I’d added a 1.4 Teleconverter to my 200-600 zoom to see how it would work with the new camera and this bird was close enough that I literally couldn’t get it all in the frame with the teleconverter in place, so I decided to do a head shot before I removed it. I do wish it had given me just a bit more of a head turn, but I still like this.

Specific Feedback Requested

Anything. There was a very bright reed that came up behind the tip of the beak and then turned behind it for a short distance that needed removal. Please let me know if my surgery is noticeable.

Technical Details

Is this a composite: No
Sony A7Riv, FE200-600 + 1.4 TC, Focal length 669 mm, beanbag on car window, f/9, 1/1000, iso 400, manual exposure. Processed in LR & PS CC. Burned some brighter reeds and lowered overall exposure of the background a bit. Increased exposure and saturation of the bird a trifle. Cropped from the right and top to 7680x5928. Taken yesterday at 10:33 am under mostly sunny skies.

1 Like
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Oh how I love bitterns. I’ve never actually seen one, but they fascinate me the way they move and position themselves while hunting. This is lovely. I see something on the tip of the beak, but it appears to actually be on it rather than an artifact, but I’m not sure. The reddish stems on the left are a bit of an eye-sink, but I’m not sure you can do much about that. Very jealous you saw two close enough to get work like this. The feathers are so intricate and rendered nicely.

3

Lovely portrait with a great BG. I think I’d crop a bit from the left to remove most of the FG branches.

4

Nice closeup! Good detail and comp. The background looks good to me. I love these birds and am always delighted when I’m able to spot one.

5

Good for you Dennis. A pretty unique bird we don’t often get to see. Photo looks good to me. I also noticed the bit sticking off tip of beak but nothing else. I really like the nice pose and eye looks great.

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@Kris_Smith @David_Leroy @Terri_Barnett @Diane_Miller The bit sticking off the beak was a tiny piece of grass stem in it’s beak, presumably from its last meal. I chose to leave it there.

1 Like
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Nice capture Dennis of an elusive bird. The setting is fine with me as this is the kind of environment we should normally see this species. Good details on the bird and a nice pose. Well done.

8

The eye is nice and sharp and it is very crisp. You could crop it a little bit more, but I think that it is fine as presented. Very nice…Jim

9

Excellent environmental portrait. The detail, color, and composition are superb.

10

Really beautiful profile portrait! I can imagine that this bird would totally blend in with the surroundings from a short distance! Nice you have such a long lens to get the details!

11

Hello, Dennis, wonderful portrait of this normally shy species. Love the way its colours match the BG. Must be the fact the English is a foreign language to me, but I had to laugh out loud when I read “so I decided to do a head shot before I removed it.” Hope you refer to the converter, and not to the head of the Bittern :wink: … Anyway, great shot ! Cheers, Hans