What makes a bird like the Black Oystercatcher so appealing is that pop of color of their beak and eyes, and really makes them stand out against the rest of the black/brown of the feather. This one was photographed on a really foggy morning off the coast of British Columbia in the Johnstone Strait area. It was tricky, but very rewarding to take this flat image from the camera (from the thick fog) and make it so you can see the colors of the feathers and of the beak and eye.

These birds are widely distributed along the Pacific Coast, and they tend to eat during low tide, feeding mostly on muscles and other shellfish, and then take high tide as a time to rest (like this one).

If you notice my fast shutter speed (of 1/2500) the reason for this it that on we were photographing the bird from a zodiac on some very rough water, so I wanted to ensure that I didn’t end up with motion blur on a resting bird.

This image is copyright © Terri Shaddick, if you are interested in using or purchasing this image, or any other images on my site, contact Terri Shaddick at [email protected].

Taken: August 11, 2015
Location: Johnstone Strait, British Columbia

Camera: Canon EOS 7D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4x III Extender
Focal Length: 700mm
Aperture: f/11
ISO: 1250
Exposure: 1/2500