Getting “Down & Dirty” pays off when photographing shorebirds like this Willet I photographed in Florida as it walked along the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico.
Willet in the surf – Nikon D200, handheld, f7.1, 1/750, ISO 200, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 370mm, natural light
The Willet (Tringa semipalmata) was very comfortable with my presence as I laid flat in the wet sand to photograph it giving me an eye level view of this beautiful bird. The crashing wave in the background was a bonus! Because the light was great I was able to shoot this image at a low ISO and without any exposure compensation.
More Willet images
Very nice!
Thank you very much Elijah!
Here’s the link to the Sandpipers: http://birdsfromthecaribbean.blogspot.com/p/common-sandpiper.html The Willets are larger but in the same family. I like the natural light on your images.
Thanks for the link Maria.
I also shot a Common Sandpiper at the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary in Indian Shores, Florida. At that time I would have blogged about all the wonderful work they do at the sanctuary. The sandpipers I shot just happened to be at the sanctuary that day. The sanctuary is not a place for wildlife shooting, however. All the birds are either in cages, sick, or in rehabilitation.
After checking your link I see that it wasn’t a Spotted you photographed but a Willet, sorry for the confusion!
I know the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary well Maria, they do marvelous work there. I think you may have photographed Spotted Sandpipers because a Common Sandpiper would have been a record bird in Florida and the internet would have been buzzing like crazy about it. There are wild birds that hang around the sanctuary and across the street a few blocks north is a wonderful rookery.
A sibling’s view. I love the foam detail on the wave edge. Great shot.
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Thank you for honoring me with a comment from your new book of blog comments Stu!
Love the Willet! It’s really neat how the smooth textures of the bird are met with the textures of the bubbly surf.
Thank you Laurence, I really like the bubbly surf too!
I, too, like that perspective. The crashing wave makes a nice bokeh in the background. Great shot, Mia.
Thanks so much Bob!
fantastic shot, love the angle.
Thank you Dan!