Killdeer as Shorebird

Image Critiques Avian Critiques
1

My wife and I did what turned out to be an overnighter to the Washington Coast a couple of days ago and on our first walk out to the beach ran across a pair of Killdeer in the reedy area between the dense vegetation and open sand beach. They acted like they had a nest in the area.

I did get a couple of shots of the Killdeer completely unobscured, but I liked this one with a few reeds in front of it .

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-20190604-_7D28504-Grayland-Editlarge%20npn1600×1067 1.01 MB

What technical feedback would you like if any?

Anything. I cropped this a bit and did a touch of cloning where there was a clump of annoyingly bright reed that was distracting.

What artistic feedback would you like if any?

How does this composition with the out of focus foreground reeds work?

Pertinent technical details or techniques:

(If backgrounds have been removed, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
7DII, Sigma 150-600 C @ 600 mm, hand held, f/8, 1/1600, iso 800, manual exposure. Processed in LR & PS CC. Cropped to 17.2 MP. Taken June 4th at 6:11 pm under a bright overcast.

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2

I like the composition, Dennis. I think there is definitely a place for environmental shots such as this. Good job in getting the head in the open.

3

Hi Dennis, this reminds me of all the times I looked for these birds straining through the grass to catch a glimpse. The composition works for me as a habitat shot which is fine. I love the red around the eye on these birds.