American Oystercatchers are quite catchy in the big family of shorebirds, with their long orange-red beak made to open up shells. While you may find them all along the American coast, they are often present with one or two individuals at Fort Desoto, Florida. Thanks to the added reach of the Canon 7d mark II shorebirds photography is made a bit easier… as long as you stay low on the ground!
American Oystercatcher banking in flight – Fort Desoto, Florida
ISO 400 | f/4 | 1/5000 sec. | Manual mode | AI servo rear focusing
This photograph was created with the Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM lens, the Canon EOS 7D mark II on tripod in the water.
One of the best ways to create flight photographs of shorebirds is to spot a flock on the ground and to wait for new comers. So taking flight shots of shorebirds that do not tend to stay in a flock, like the American Oystercatcher, can be a lot more tricky. I was working with this one above, when it took off, seemingly going away. I acquired focus and did not lose faith that the bird might turn around… Luckily enough, the Oystercatcher did just that: a big turn to come back where it took off, offering a very nice banking angle during its landing approach. Nice!!
American Oystercatcher with horseshoe crab in its beak – Fort Desoto, Florida
ISO 400 | f/4 | 1/5000 sec. | Manual mode | AI servo rear focusing
This photograph was created with the Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM lens, the Canon EOS 7D mark II on tripod in the water.
And here we come to one of the Oystercatcher’s specialty: getting invertebrates out of shells! The prey in its beak is a small horseshoe crab without its shell. As always, think of the 4 angles of success before pressing the shutter! Special attention to the background angle is how I create clean blurry backdrops. Did I say that I favored blue backdrops? 😉
American Oystercatcher – Fort Desoto, Florida
ISO 640 | f/4 | 1/6400 sec. | Manual mode | AI servo rear focusing
This photograph was created with the Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM lens, the Canon EOS 7D mark II on tripod low on the ground.
Striving for action shots! The Oystercatcher above is clapping its beak after having thought catching a prey. No luck for this time… but the horseshoe crab was already a nice catch. I really enjoy action shots with water splashes as it gives a lot of life to the image. Beware though, for those unexpected moments to be captured as if time had frozen, you will need to work out your setup with a very fast shutter speed.
Used Gear for sale
Canon EF 300mm f/4 L IS
I am putting my 300mm for sale at $950. Quite a saving versus the price in store for a lens in mint condition that delivers pro results for a very small price. You may contact me by email at steven.blandin@gmail.com if you are interested 🙂
The Canon EF 400mm f/4 L IS is now sold!!
Florida Spoonbills and Shorebirds instructional photography tour / $890 / limit 5 people / March 7th-8th 2015:
SOLD OUT!! You may also book a private tour weekend, when I take you twice to the Spoonbill rookery during two days of intensive learning and fun => only one weekend available April 18th-19th. Contact me at steven.blandin@gmail.com
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Steven