Mastering Bird Photography

Chapter 11

THE BIG PICTURE

The bird’s bright red bill catches my eye—a flash of brilliant color against the gray ocean. This stunning Black Oystercatcher has just flown in. The only problem is the fifty-foot drop onto sharp rocks and pounding waves between the bird and me. I am stuck on the edge of a cliff! Even with a 500mm lens and a teleconverter, the bird is disappointingly small and my viewpoint from above means that getting a clean background behind it is out of the question.

Rather than feel frustrated, I will take this opportunity to make an environmental portrait by showing the oystercatcher in its habitat. The bird forages for shellfish along the tideline as it crosses over a complex variety of textures—barnacles, mussels, and variously ...