Black Mussel Munchers

Image Critiques Avian Critiques
1

I posted two photos together (which I know is unusual in this critique forum) because I do want critiques but the two photos together also tell a story.

I had an opportunity to watch a family of Black Oyster Catchers using those brightly colored, sharp, pointed tools of theirs to do what they were designed for; opening and eating shellfish! Their beaks are almost as thin as a knife at the tips and work perfectly for inserting into the openings of a shellfish (in this case mussels) to spread them open and eat the contents. While I was watching, I had a chance to see Mom teach one of the babies how to do it. She would open a mussel while the baby watched and then walk away and leave it for the baby to go in and pull the mussel out of the shell. I sat down on a foam pad in plain site while I watched and photographed them which is why the photos have a very low angle point of view. The first photo is Mom, cracking open a mussel that was buried in the mud while the chick watched. After opening the mussel, Mom turned away and left it for the chick to figure out how to get the food out of the shell. The chick (which doesn’t have the bright yellow eyes or bright orange beak yet) jumped right on it and got its reward for learning :slight_smile:

Oyster Catcher Munching Mussels - - Sony a6500, FE200600G w/1.4tc @ 622mm, ISO-500, f/9.0, 1/1600, hand held, approx. 30% crop for magnification and composition.

Oyster Catcher Munching Mussels
Oyster Catcher Munching Mussels2560×1600 1.01 MB

Black Mussel Munchers - - Sony a6500, FE200600G w/1.4tc @ 685mm, ISO-500, f/9.0, 1/1600, hand held, very small crop for composition.

Black Mussel Munchers
Black Mussel Munchers2560×1600 963 KB

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@garyminish

2

I always love seeing black oyster catchers, and you know I love the low angle! Image quality is really good. I like the habitat. My preference is the first photo due to the eye contact and head angle of the bird. Critique-wise, I’d probably dodge the darkest parts of the blob in the background and burn the brightest parts of the kelp and rocks near the bird. Nice job.

3

Both images are excellent, Gary. I don’t really prefer one over the other. They really do work well together to tell the story, particularly when you realize it’s the same mussel in both images. If I did anything, it might be to eliminate the bit of a beak reflection in the second. In the first it works. In the second it’s a distraction for me.