Immature LBH+2ndRepost

Gallery: AvianPosted January 1, 201159 views11 comments

Immature Little Blue Heron (Florida caerulea)

Another birder and I were puzzling over the identity of this bird while observing it at the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park in Grand Cayman recently. Now that I'm home and can delve into the books more, I'm pretty sure that it is an immature LBH. I'm basing my identification on coloration of the bill and legs along with the grayish wing tips (nicely evident in this shot). The only counter indicator is that this bird is flying with its neck outstretched rather than bent. So, I'm looking forward to knowing your comments regarding identity here.

I could have posted this shot in the Avian Forum and requested an identity discussion. However, I don't get many BIF shots that I consider worth posting. So, I hope that you will critique the image too.

All comments very welcome.

1D Mark IV, EF100-400 f/4.5-f/5.6, hand held: 390mm, ISO 500, 1/1250 s, f/9.0, 0 EV, 9.5 MP after cropping, usual NR, exposure adjustment, sharpening, cloned out some small bright spots in the bg.

Comments

11 comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on January 1, 2011 at 11:11 PM

Nice flight shot, Steve. I like the wing position and the detail, and it really shows up against tht dark bg. I'm afraid the ID is outside my expertise.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on January 1, 2011 at 11:36 PM

Sharpness and detail look good here Steve, I like the detail on the wing. I'd wish for a little better light on the face, I think you have the ID correct.

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on January 2, 2011 at 10:05 AM

I am afraid I can't help further with the ID either Steve. At my first glance, I thought more of a juvenile Snowy Egret...they don't geet leg and beak colors until they reach adulthood from what I have seen.
As far as the capture...very nicely done! Great detail and exposure. I don't see the light on the face being a problem.

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments

Comment posted by Barbara Graham on January 2, 2011 at 10:14 AM

I think your ID is correct, but I'm not positive. Great detail and clarity here.

Registered on July 27, 2010, 1310 Posts, 5035 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Moore on January 2, 2011 at 10:56 AM

Nice flight shot with a great BG IMO. Might like a slight bit more space in front.

Dan

Registered on February 11, 2010, 143 Posts, 1248 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on January 2, 2011 at 11:42 AM

Steve, this is def an immature LBH. I like the overall comp. Sharpness and detail are good. I agree with Nate, a bit more light to make this pop more would have been nice.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Sally King on January 2, 2011 at 1:25 PM

The bird stands out quite nicely from the darker background. Nice in-flight capture. Even though more light on the face would have been nice the eye still stands out very well.

Registered on December 2, 2008, 416 Posts, 4450 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on January 2, 2011 at 1:57 PM

Yep.. A little blue. I like the wing down position, makes some nice lines to this sleek flier. The only thing I'd do to the image is tone down the highlights on the leading edge of the wing and top of the head.

Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Balke on January 2, 2011 at 6:54 PM

Thank you everyone. Excellent, perceptive comments. Looks like the ID is o.k. It's interesting that Peterson states that this bird should be flying with its neck folded back to its shoulder. It just took off so maybe we're looking at a "transient state". I agree regarding the other comments and the repost reflects what I can do: better light on the face and toning down leading edge of wing and top of head. The image is certainly improved!

Registered on June 18, 2009, 229 Posts, 2915 Comments

Comment posted by Angela McCain on January 2, 2011 at 11:15 PM

Nice image of this atypical bird. Good flight image. I really like the repost. I might try just one more little tweak-desaturate your blues just a bit-I think it will give you a more pure white.

Registered on April 19, 2009, 367 Posts, 3589 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Balke on January 3, 2011 at 8:19 AM

Thank you, Angela! Great suggestion. That really helps the "pop" characteristic of this image. This bird is supposed to be "snowy white"....despite that it's a LBH...Here's the repost.

Registered on June 18, 2009, 229 Posts, 2915 Comments