Although it was the mention of Whimbrels that encouraged me to go to the beach after the main Spring Migration push, when I got to Bottle Beach the few birders I met were all looking for Red Knots. I’ll have to admit that despite numerous visits I don’t remember ever getting a photo of one. As it turned out, I might actually have gotten a bad photo of one the night before, but that hardly counts since I thought I was getting a shot of another dowitcher.
It wasn’t until we were about to leave that Leslie thought she spotted a small flock of them at the other end of the beach. Unlike a lot of other shorebirds, they all seemed to be feeding out in the water, making it tough to get very close without waders.
I did manage to get a little closer, though, and with an 800mm lens setting and some additional cropping and got some pictures that I was happy with.
Waiting quietly for the tide to continue to bring the birds closer and closer, at least the ones intent on feeding. I loved this shot that revealed the delicate feather pattern on its head, something I had never noticed before.
Finally, I constructed a collage that did a better job of conveying this part of the day than any single shot could.
I’ve done shots like this quite a while ago, and I’d like to do more pictures like this, but it takes quite a bit more thought and time.