Bruce Michelotti
March 2025 - Wilsons Snipe
About the Image(s)
I was at Merit Island Wildlife Refuge last month for a few days. Merit Island is the North part of Cape Canaveral and has, among other things, a 7 mile drive through mangrove marshes. It is a one way trip on a one lane road, but there are areas to pull over and pop out to photograph the many, many different species of birds. Mostly water birds, but I did do some hiking elsewhere and found some Scrub Jays and Owls.
This is an early morning shot of a Wilson's Snipe out in the water. Shot with Canon R5, 720mm, 1/400 sec., f/10, ISO 200. If you ever get over to the Eastern part of Florida, I recommend a trip to the Island.
This round’s discussion is now closed!
9 comments posted
(Groups 20 & 81)
Great shot. So jealous!!
Lovely and sharp and including some habitat makes the image. Posted: 03/02/2025 10:21:48
Lovely and sharp and including some habitat makes the image. Posted: 03/02/2025 10:21:48
Thanks for your visit and comment Angela. Posted: 03/22/2025 18:59:37
Very good mirror shot. Although the tall branches seem somewhat of a distraction, they also seem to frame the bird. I would like to see the bird more close up in the frame but if you used 720 mm it seems like you had a s much of a reach as you could. I do not know if the original RAW file would look good blown up. I have been to southern Florida and it was a bird wonderland. Your hike could have been very difficult. I only walked on wooden walkways off the ground and that was years ago. Posted: 03/10/2025 12:08:01
Thanks Harley. Fortunately this was on a wildlife DRIVE, so no hiking involved. My goal for this year is to capture more environmental shots of the birds I find rather than just portraits. This is my start in that quest. Posted: 03/22/2025 19:04:50
Bruce I think you did what you set out to do and captured the bird in its enironment. Very good. Posted: 03/24/2025 20:42:45
Isn't it amazing how they blend in with their surroundings? I don't know what mm you were zoomed at, however, I would have increased my ISO and speed. Also,
you would benefit from a tripod with that lens and you didn't mention using one. Posted: 03/23/2025 13:49:27
you would benefit from a tripod with that lens and you didn't mention using one. Posted: 03/23/2025 13:49:27
Yes, a tripod would have been very helpful. I was on a narrow road with water on each side shooting from the car for this shot. Could not get out since there were cars behind me. At 1/400 I was a bit below the minimum needed for the shot, but I thought the sharpness was, at least, acceptable. Thanks for your comment Lane. Posted: 03/26/2025 22:26:06
Fabulous! I love the composition.
Did you do any sharpening or masking? I ask because I see color noise outlining the bird and each blade of grass. Do you take Raw images? Another explanation could be JPEG artifacts. Posted: 03/24/2025 16:51:20
Did you do any sharpening or masking? I ask because I see color noise outlining the bird and each blade of grass. Do you take Raw images? Another explanation could be JPEG artifacts. Posted: 03/24/2025 16:51:20
I do shoot raw Bunny. This was an early morning shot and, while processing, I was having issues with color balance. I tried to correct using other methods and that may be the reason for the color noise you see (I really can't see it though). I did do just a bit of sharpening when I exported the image. I printed this up (13x19) and had to do it 3 times to get the color correct. I still don't know if it is white balance or something else.
Thanks for your input.
If you could respond when you see this note I would appreciate it. As I mentioned earlier there has been a problem with notifications on our website and Tom Pickering has asked all the admins to check their group out. So far I have not gotten any, but it might be fixed now. We will see. Posted: 03/26/2025 22:33:46
Thanks for your input.
If you could respond when you see this note I would appreciate it. As I mentioned earlier there has been a problem with notifications on our website and Tom Pickering has asked all the admins to check their group out. So far I have not gotten any, but it might be fixed now. We will see. Posted: 03/26/2025 22:33:46