Richard Goldenberg
April 2025 - Dunlin
About the Image(s)
This photo was taken a few weeks ago, on March 15, 2025, with my Sony Alpha 1, Mark II, using a 300 mm prime lens with a 1.4x teleconverter, for an effective focal length of 420 mm. The exposure was 1/2000 s, f/9 and ISO 3200.
The image was taken during my first visit to Boston's Castle Island, which is a small park near the industrial heart of Boston. Castle Island is on the approach to Boston's major airport - Logan airport - and the entire time we were there, jumbo jets were noisily flying very low overhead immediately after their takeoff. Boston's container shipping port is also nearby and within view of Castle Island. The path where I saw these birds - Dunlin - is paved and large numbers of pedestrians and runners were streaming by. I love that amid that urban tangle, this and other similar wildlife scenes play out continuously, with the birds seemingly ignoring all but their very immediate surroundings - the water and the encrusted rocks. Before that day, I had only ever seen Dunlin at a great distance. It was wonderful to find them so close to home and embedded within a cityscape.
3 comments posted
Thanks for your comments and suggestions. I hadn't noticed that about the rocks, but now that you mention it, the rocks do overly dominate. I like the rocks, but they are of course not the stars of the show.
Recently I have been trying to make all my crops adhere to a 16x9 aspect ratio. I'll try re-cropping myself to emphasize the birds. I also like your contrast boost of the birds. Posted: 04/01/2025 21:26:52