Sanderling feeding in front of the flock, Parker River National Wildlife Refuge

As I waited for the flock to approach where I was waiting in the sand, this is one of the first sanderlings to come close. A few minutes later the flock would come zooming by on all sides.

Sanderling at dusk, Parker River National Wildlife Refuge

A few years ago I had a wonderful evening spent with a large flock of sanderlings as they settled in to roost along the beach at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. After the sun dropped below the dunes behind me, beautiful pastel colors were reflected in a pool of shallow water at the edge of the beach. A lot of the birds were preening or tucking their bills in to rest, but this one slowly walked through the water, providing some lovely reflections without making many waves in the still water.

Sanderlings feeding, Parker River National Wildlife Refuge

I generally find it hard to work with my camera in a vertical orientation while laying prone in the sand for my low-angle shorebird photography. It leaves my arms and trigger finger in an awkward position against the ground, while also limiting my field of vision to track the rapid motions of the birds. This means that most of my shorebird compositions are horizontal, and this generally matches the fast-paced motion of a sandpiper on the beach. While processing my images, I like to look for at least a few compositions that work in vertical to keep things interesting. The orientation of these two birds, with the first turned toward the camera, caught my attention for a tight crop from the original horizontal perspective.

Little blue heron catches a shrimp, Bunche Beach Preserve

For someone who typically photographs small shorebirds that feed on tiny prey, it was pretty amazing to watch waders pull all kinds of large foods from the warm waters at Bunche Breach Preserve in Florida a few years ago. This little blue heron worked its way back and forth across a tidal pool over and over again, catching a variety of fish as well as this shrimp.

White ibis hunting in a tidal pool, Bunche Beach Preserve

The white ibis looks like it should be awkward with that elongated bill, but this one kept a stately posture as it moved back and forth across a tidal pond at Bunch Beach Preserve.

While I saw ibis catch a lot of prey on my few mornings in the preserve, a near miss let this crab escape.

Willet catches a crab, Bunche Beach Preserve

It was fun to work some shorebird reflections in the rapidly rising water of this tidal pool at Bunche Beach Preserve in Florida a few years ago. The diversity of prey that the birds pulled from the water was remarkable, and in the shot below, this willet came up with a small crab!

Barred owl, Parker River National Wildlife Refuge

A few years ago I took a winter trip to Parker River National Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island to celebrate my birthday. I mostly struck out with the shorebirds, but this handsome owl drew quite a crowd of photographers as it perched along the road in the last rays of sunlight. It was just far enough back in the woods that it made for a photographic challenge to get a clear view through the branches. The trees in this area are small so the owl was probably only five or six feet off the ground, and I recall having to contort my body in all kinds of uncomfortable ways to get my tripod lined up just right to get a clear framing above the grass along the road and through a branching V of a tree. Totally worth it though when you get to bring home a memory like this!

It didn't seem too bothered by the dozen or so birders and photographers that gathered to enjoy the sight. It continued to scan the ground and listen for prey, and even showed off that famous owl neck flexibility for us.

Preening sanderling, Parker River National Wildlife Refuge

A sanderling giving a nice view of its wing feathers while it preens on the beach at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.

Taking flight, Sanderlings at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge

While working the wet sand for some shorebird reflections in the foreground, a second bird taking flight in the background stole the show.

Juvenile red knot, Parker River National Wildlife Refuge

I only found a couple of images worth processing from my encounter with red knots back in 2011. The scaled wing feathers of this individual are still visible, marking it as a juvenile on it's first migration from the Arctic. The distances these birds travel each year are amazing, and I hope that this young one made it!