I went to check if the laundry room was busy (one washer for twelve apartments) and didn't even have to walk through the door to know it was unsafe for me. I could smell the cigarette smoke and feel my airways constricting just a few feet from the dining room. I couldn't fix breakfast that morning. I sent my son outside to prop one of the main entry doors open and grabbed my inhaler. I dread winter because then there will be no escape for me. By 11 am most of the smoke had cleared and we had brunch. It had been a terrible start to the day. After brunch I figured the morning dew would have evaporated and decided we needed fresh air, sunshine and some exercise. I helped my son get his bike off the deck box and wandered around the building and toward the pond. My son followed me then suddenly, I made him stop and told him to be quiet. There on the shoreline was a Solitary Sandpiper! In nearly fourteen years I had never seen one on the pond before! I whispered, "Don't move, be quiet and watch it while I go grab the camera." For once my child actually obeyed me and the sandpiper was still there when I returned. As I raised the camera to take the first shot, my phone rang! I pressed the the shutter then grabbed the phone as quickly as possible praying it wouldn't fly off. I answered the phone. It was friend whom I messaged earlier to check in on. I found a spot to sit and photographed the Sandpiper while talking quietly. It was no easy feat keeping the phone to my ear and balancing my big lens at the same time. My son quietly slipped away to ride his bike. After the long overdue conversation I crawled closer and laid down trying to avoid the goose poop which seemed every where. I was completely captivated until my son came running over to check in with me. The Sandpiper flew across the pond. He was sorry but I shushed him and said to wait. A few minutes later the Sandpiper was back. My son leaned against me watching for a while before silently returning to his bike. The Sandpiper was foraging the rocky shore. It would often find a bug or worm and then dip it in the water before swallowing it. The pond is low as we have not had much rain. It is down about three feet and the floating dock no longer floats. As the Sandpiper slowly paced the shoreline on its hunt I began to wonder if it had an injury as it kept shaking. Then it occurred to me that what I was witnessing may be a technique to lure out its prey. Twice the Sandpiper stopped to preen and wash. While it was preening there was no shaking. I was on a slope so it was hard to get right on level with the Sandpiper but I did manage a few shots that way. Like children the best wildlife photos are taken at eye level. It isn't always possible to do that but this was a rare and beautiful exception. Typically when I encounter a Sandpiper or relative it is at Montezuma Wildlife Refuge where in most areas you are not allowed out of you vehicle making getting on eye level impossible. For two or three hours I observed and photographed this beautiful, hungry and rather tolerant bird. Five hundred photos later I think, maybe I really am crazy. After all to most folks it is just a bird. There is something about observing, learning and making a connection to wildlife. Then again Snow White talked to and even sang to the wild animals, so perhaps I am still semi sane. It was a day when storm clouds rolled by and took turns with the dancing sunbeams. Afternoon light is often really harsh, but that day it was perfect! Sometimes I did have to wait for it but in the end I didn't need to edit most of the photos at all! That was a surprise. My two favorites were at or even below eye level. The grass in the foreground and the water in the background are blurred but the Sandpiper is tack sharp! Hope enjoy the photos as much as I did in their creation! Until next time all the best to you! Oh and maybe a few bonus shots for you! It was really hard to decide which ones to share!
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Julie MetottNature Photographer, wife, mother, lover of outdoor adventure! Archives
November 2022
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