Bird Photo Competition 2 2012 : Entry Number 541

Perfect placement in the frame makes the most of this well-captured shorebird feeding in glorious low-altitude sunlight.

Thank so much for recognizing my photo! This was taken one afternoon on the Pacific coast near San Diego. The exceptional lighting was created by the warm rays of sunset reflecting off of a nearby cliff that bathed the wet sand in golden hues. A large group of shorebirds just happened to be feeding in the area when I captured this shot. What really drew me to this scene was the way the rocks in the scene look like tiny nuggets of gold. I used a Canon 40D with a 70-200 f 2.8 and 2x Telextender.