RUNNER-UP CATEGORY BIRDS
Nick Dunlop | Shorebird Hunt

Name: Nick Dunlop
Picture title: Shorebird Hunt
Category: Birds
Nationality: Born and living in California, United States of America
Occupation: I am a retired Real Estate appraiser. That said I am in the field approximately 8 months of the year doing my photography.

Technical information
Camera: Sony A1
Lens: 600mm lens with 1.4 extender
EXIF: 1/ 320 sec, f5.6, ISO 2500
Accessories: I shot the image handheld

Nick Dunlop​ says:

I have been photographing raptors for over 50 years with an emphasis on Peregrine Falcons which are common where I live. I began by photographing them nesting and raising their young which was fun and satisfying. Once nesting season was over I was looking for something to do and began frequenting local marshes and bays where I had seen peregrines during the fall and winter months. These locations were “stopover” places where migratory shorebirds would rest and feed on their way south and provided a food source for peregrines.

Spending days and weeks at the marsh gave me a chance for images but most of the action was far away with no access across the mud flats. I got stuck in the mud more than a few times! But it got me hooked in trying to get images of hunting falcons. I could accompany falconers flying their birds but I wanted wild birds hunting in natural settings. Easier said than done! Doing research and speaking to biologists gave me ideas of where to go along the west coast of California, Oregon and Washington and I began traveling in search of migratory flocks of shorebirds.

Eventually I found a few locations where my chances of success improved and spent most of my time there. I found quickly that the larger the flock, the better chance it would attract a falcon. I learned to stay close to the flock, but not too close as to scare them off. And most of the time I went alone. Then it was a waiting game. Most days I never saw any action or got poor results. But persistence paid off for my image here as I guessed right and was in the right place at the right time to get an intimate shot of a hunting peregrine inside a flock of shorebirds.

The image was taken on a secluded beach near the Oregon and Washington state line. The scientific name of the Peregrine Falcon in the image is known as Falco peregrinus pealei, and shorebirds are Dunlins, Calidris alpine.

I shoot handheld with autofocus on. Using a tripod is too cumbersome and I only use it when shooting video. Exposure is set to manual and I constantly check my settings as the light changes. Sony autofocus is fantastic and was “sticky” enough to keep the peregrine in focus in the midst of thousands of shorebirds.