By Mia McPherson, on May 15th, 2012% I was photographing one evening in Florida while laying in the mudflat of a tidal lagoon, there were Dunlins, Black-bellied Plovers and Greater Yellowlegs in front of me where the evening light was great.
 Sidelit Piping Plover - Nikon D200, handheld, f7.1, 1/640, ISO 160, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light Out of the corner of my eye I caught a bit of movement and turned my head towards what I could see was a Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) looking for prey in the mudflats. The light was not what most photographers would call “great“, the plover was below a dune and the angle of the sun in the west caused the bird to be sidelit.
Some photographers would pass on the shot because of the “tough”, “harsh” or “contrasty” light, but I simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
Even though the sun wasn’t behind my shoulder and the light wasn’t golden this image has a great mood to it. I know I could have used flash to brighten up the bird and the setting but if I had it certainly would not be this moody, besides; I very rarely use flash.
This Piping Plover image reminds me to try to photograph birds in other than perfect light. Sidelit and backlit images can be spectacular so I don’t like passing up taking the chance that I might just get a great shot despite what some photographers think of as bad light.
Mia
More Piping Plover images
*I pre-scheduled this post because I am away, please feel free to share this with your friends & family!
By Mia McPherson, on May 10th, 2012% Yes, poop happens. If there are birds there is poop. That is the straight poop… I mean scoop!
 Royal Tern, Florida Some birds poop in mid-air which it is always wise to have your mouth closed when photographing birds directly over your head. A wide-brimmed hat is kind of handy too. I’m glad this Royal Tern banked when it did or I might have gotten bombed.
 Killdeer, Utah Some shorebirds will leave the water to poop, I’ve noticed that American Avocets always exit the water when they need to pooh. Some shorebirds poop so fast you don’t even notice it. Even with a shutter speed of 1/1600 I could not freeze the motion of this Killdeer’s poop, they must be the “fast as lightning” poopers.
 Roseate Spoonbill, Florida I think that Roseate Spoonbills are Super Dooper Poopers, this bird looks like it grew an extra leg the stream of poop is so long!
Okay, enough talk about poop! (At least until the next Oh… Poop post)
Mia
By Mia McPherson, on May 8th, 2012% Getting “Down & Dirty” is a way of being at eye level with your subject which brings the viewer into the bird’s world and it can make the image feel more intimate too. Achieving those low angle perspectives can be quite messy and/or uncomfortable depending on the habitat.
 Resting Semipalmated Plover - Nikon D200, handheld, f7.1, 1/750, ISO 250, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light The day I took this Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) image I had spotted several different species of shorebirds resting on the sand of Fort De Soto’s north beach, the morning was cool and many of the birds had fluffed up their feathers to conserve heat.
I didn’t want to disturb the resting birds so I knew that my approach would have to be very slow and that I had to get low to the ground. I was about 40 feet from the birds when I dropped down on my belly and began to leisurely move forward on the sugar sand using my elbows and legs to push & pull myself in the direction of the birds all the while being careful not to get the sand on my lens or camera. With my backpack on my back, and the lens sticking way out in the front I may have looked like a weird hunch-backed lizard or a very skinny, long-nosed Loggerhead Turtle.
The birds didn’t care so neither did I.
It probably took me over 20 minutes sand crawling to get close enough to the birds to fill the frame without causing them alarm and with each push forward in the dry sand some of it would creep into the waist band of my pants plus the front pockets would fill up too. After I was through photographing the shorebirds I put myself into reverse sand crawling which pushed sand up into my pant legs. By the time I felt like I could stand back up without flushing the birds I’d pushed through a lot of sand.
What happens when you stand back up after sand has crept into your pants?
First, know that you have gotten a free dermabrasion session and your skin will feel baby soft. Second, grab that extra set of clothes you brought (I hope you know to bring them), head to the shower and rinse off before putting on those clean clothes or your ride home in those sandy pants will feel like your clothes are lined with emery boards!
Oh, and when you do stand up and shake off the sand you kind of feel like Pigpen in the Charlie Brown cartoons, remember the clouds of dust that appeared every time he moved? Maybe I am showing my age?
Mia aka Sandy Pants
By Mia McPherson, on May 3rd, 2012% Willets (Tringa semipalmata) have returned to Utah, on the causeway to Antelope Island hundreds of them can be seen in the shallow water. They seem to spend some time there fattening up after migration before they get down to the serious business of mating and rearing their young.
 Willet calling on a Rabbitbrush - Nikon D300, f6.3, 1/640, ISO 640, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 350mm, natural light In Utah I see Willets in much different habitats than I saw them in Florida, here they stand on rocks, perch precariously on shrubs and forage in grasslands. This Willet was perched on a Rabbitbrush as the breeze made the bird and the bush dance on Antelope Island State Park this week.
 Willet in sea-foam on the Gulf of Mexico - Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1/1000, ISO 200, Nikkor 70-300mm VR at 300mm, natural light In Florida I would see Willets on sandy beaches, foraging in tidal lagoons, in Spartina marshes and in the waves of the Gulf of Mexico. This Willet was in sea-foam with gorgeous turquoise water in the background on Fort De Soto’s north beach.
 Willet stretching on a rock - Nikon D200, f5.6, 1/1000, ISO 400, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light Willets do call in Florida but not as frequently as they do here in Utah. This Willet was perched on a rock among the grasses on a hillside on Antelope Island State Park and stretched its wings.
 Willet in early morning light at Fort De Soto - Nikon D200, handheld, 5.6, 1/800, ISO 320, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light I enjoy seeing and photographing Willets where ever I find them, they are beautiful shorebirds.
Mia
More Willet images
By Mia McPherson, on May 2nd, 2012% Last week I photographed a Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) bathing at Farmington Bay Wildlife Management Area in Davis County, Utah. I was in a mobile blind (vehicle) and the shorebird was quite comfortable in my presence. I used my Nikon D300, resting on my Noodle, f6.3, ISO 400, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, 0.0 EV and my shutter speed ranged from 1/1600 to 1/2000.
The images are posted in sequential order.
 Killdeer bathing The Killdeer was bathing when we first pulled up and it stopped momentarily.
 Killdeer bathing It soon began bathing again, vigorously. I like the flying water droplets and how the water is running off of the birds back.
 Killdeer bathing The Killdeer would press its body into the water and then rise back up.
 Killdeer bathing Then it would spread out its wings a bit.
 Killdeer bathing Sometimes the Killdeer would dip its head into the water, twist it and fling water over its back. While I wish that some of the water wasn’t in front of the eye blocking the catchlight I am happy that the bird had its eye open in this frame. I love the action shown here.
 Killdeer bathing The Killdeer also bobbed its body up and down without immersing its whole body.
 Killdeer bathing I liked this image because I caught the bill open.
 Killdeer bathing I like the great eye contact in this frame.
 Killdeer bathing And the fluffed up feathers in this frame.
 Killdeer bathing Even 1/1600 wasn’t fast enough to stop the motion blur of the feathers but it did freeze most of the water droplets.
 Killdeer bathing Then the Killdeer stood up and called.
 Killdeer bathing Turned its back and gave us an over the shoulder look…
 Killdeer bathing And it began to preen.
 Killdeer bathing I thought this was a funny pose.
 Killdeer bathing And this one too!
 Killdeer after the bath The bird moved away from the water and gave itself a final fluff before it flew away.
Mia
More Killdeer images
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Photographing a Tricolored Heron from a tidal lagoon
Focusing on Wildlife Contributor
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