Field Notes Update

Spotted Sandpiper Along Rocky Shoreline /  by Todd Henson

A spotted sandpiper posing for the camera.

Shorebirds can be a lot of fun to observe and have such a distinctive look they can usually be easily identified as shorebirds. Of course, identifying which shorebird species they are can sometimes be more of a challenge, though not with today’s subject, the spotted sandpiper. It might have been a little more challenging if this were a non-breeding bird as then it wouldn’t have had the distinctive black spots all along its chest. Helping with the ID is its dark tipped orange bill and short yellow legs.

The spotted sandpiper looking for food along the shore.

This particular spotted sandpiper was observed a number of years ago in the first days of May walking along the rocky shoreline of a local wildlife refuge. I was hiking the trail parallel to the shore and happened to be going the same direction as the sandpiper. It was funny how it had a very specific personal space, rather large, and each time I entered that space it would run a bit further ahead. I kept trying to move a little closer, hoping to fill the frame without needing to crop the photos later, but it wasn’t quite comfortable enough with me to allow that. So I quickly learned the distance it was comfortable with and attempted to stay just outside that range, allowing it to move forward at its own pace, me following behind as it moved down the shoreline and I followed the path, two strangers for a brief time traveling together.

Sometimes the spotted sandpiper appeared curious about me.

Sometimes the sandpiper didn’t seem to care about me at all.

I could see what I interpreted as a bit of curiosity in the bird as it would sometimes tilt its head towards me and watch. It didn’t appear to feel threatened as it never flew away. I think it was just keeping watch to be sure I didn’t get too close. If I kept my distance it was ok sharing this stretch of trail and shoreline with me. But this did bring to mind how often we feel the urge to give different species human characteristics they may or may not actually have. Curiosity, for example. Perhaps it did, in fact, have a simple sense of curiosity. Or perhaps what appeared to be curiosity was just its survival instinct, knowing it had to keep a distance from potential threats, enough distance to give it time to launch itself into the air and fly away, if needed. Either way, it awakened my own sense of curiosity as I followed and observed this wonderful little bird. And for that, I’m thankful.

Spotted sandpiper on the rocks.

Do you enjoy these posts?

Sign up to receive periodic emails with updates and thoughts. Don’t worry, I won’t spam you. And please consider purchasing artwork or products from my online store, and using my affiliate links in the sidebar to the right when shopping online.

I appreciate your support!

The Building of a Doomed Nest /  by Todd Henson

An osprey returns to find the previous years nesting site destroyed by strong storms.

It’s early March as I write this, and having been out hiking and driving near the bay this weekend I’m realizing it’s almost time for the osprey to return and begin nesting. Each year they arrive in Northern Virginia in early spring to freshen up existing nests or build new ones. They stay through the summer raising the next generation, before once again heading south to warmer waters.

Branch in talons, the osprey surveys the surrounding area.

Returning osprey most often reuse the same nest from the previous season. It saves them a lot of work. They just need to repair any damage that’s occurred since they left, adding a new layer of nesting material. But sometimes they return to find their nest gone. This weeks post looks at such a situation.

Wings extended, the osprey flies back to its nest site with a new branch.

This pair of osprey had, many years back, found a perfect nest location, the top of a duck hunters blind sitting in the waters of the bay just offshore of a wildlife refuge. Year after year they returned and reused this location. In some years there might be a horrendous storm that blew the nest apart, but most years the osprey were successful in raising their young.

The osprey lifts off after dropping another branch on the doomed nest.

This particular year, though, they returned to find not only the nest, but the entire hunters blind destroyed. Strong storms had collapsed the structure, leaving just a small pile of boards sticking out of the water. But being very persistent and tenacious, the osprey attempted to rebuild the nest upon their return that spring.

This photo shows how close civilization is, with large expensive homes along the distant shoreline, as the osprey flies in with another branch.

These photos show one of the osprey pair attempting to build the nest before its mate returned to the area. Unfortunately, the entire process was doomed to failure. There just wasn’t enough of the structure left to provide a suitable base for the nest. And the collapsed blind was too close to the water. We can get some strong storm surges in this area that would easily engulf the new nest.

Wings extended, the osprey lands atop the collapsed duck blind with a branch.

I don’t know where this specific pair of osprey ended up nesting after this failed attempt, so I also don’t know if they were successful that year. But given nature’s strong push to survive and reproduce I’m hopeful they made a successful go of it. The surrounding area is always home to many nests of these miraculous birds, and I hope it stays that way. I return each year to observe the osprey, and look forward to doing the same this year.

In this photo we see the osprey flying in with another branch, with the houses on the distant shore and a couple people fishing from a boat in the waters of the bay.

Looking back, though, I do miss that location. It was very close to the path along the shore, so us photographers and nature enthusiasts had great opportunities to observe nesting osprey behavior up close. I recall watching young osprey being fed and attempting to fledge from that nest. I’ve not yet found a site as perfect as that one, but I keep looking, and hoping.

Zoomed out a little, we can see how little remains of the duck blind as the osprey attempts to rebuild a nest that will never produce any young.

Do you enjoy these posts?

Sign up to receive periodic emails with updates and thoughts. Don’t worry, I won’t spam you. And please consider purchasing artwork or products from my online store, and using my affiliate links in the sidebar to the right when shopping online.

I appreciate your support!

Flight of the Northern Pintail /  by Todd Henson

A Northern Pintail duck flying right in front of me. Click the image for a larger view.

It was mid-January in Northern Virginia and the weather was unseasonably warm. We walked along the boardwalk of the wetlands park watching several species of ducks swimming at a distance, along with the typical groups of Canada Geese. One species of duck that caught my eye, as it often does, was the Northern Pintail, named because of that distinctive tail, as seen in some of the included photos.

Northern Pintails are a beautiful duck. The males have a brown head with a white neck that makes them easy to identify. They have a light reddish-brown chest and light brownish-grey back. As with many duck species they have gorgeous colorful bars on their wings, most easily seen when they take flight. Photographing ducks in flight is something I always hope for, though it can be quite a challenge.

On this particular day I hadn’t gone out with the intention of photographing birds in flight. If I had, my gear of choice would likely have been my 200-400mm lens, perhaps with a 1.4x teleconverter to bring me in a little closer. But for this trip I wanted something a little lighter and less bulky, something I could hand hold with ease. And because my 70-200mm is currently on the fritz I borrowed my brother’s 70-300mm lens.

A male Northern Pintail swimming in the wetlands.

Instead of seeking out birds in flight I was looking for more static subjects. Because of this I’d turned off the continuous high speed shutter mode to keep from creating lots of images of the same thing. A continuous shutter is great for capturing action, but a waste of frames for still subjects. And then I saw the Northern Pintail swimming alone not that far from the boardwalk.

I should have switched back on continuous high shutter mode when I began photographing the pintail, but I don’t always think of these things fast enough. After all, the duck was peacefully swimming in the water, not moving all that fast. And though I still had the camera set to continuous low, continuous high would have better prepared me for what came next.

The Northern Pintail took flight.

Seemingly out of the blue the duck sprang from the water and took flight. I wasn’t prepared for this so I didn’t capture any images as it first left the water. But I was fortunate to get it in focus for a couple shots as it flew low over the water, droplets still falling from its wings. I didn’t expect much. The lens I was using isn’t the fastest lens. But it’s also a lens I don’t have much experience with, so I may have underestimated it.

Profile shot of the Northern Pintail in flight.

Because I wasn’t in continuous high I didn’t capture as many frames as I’d have liked, but I was thankful I still captured some. At one point I realized I’d lost focus, so I worked to track the duck and regain focus, worried I wouldn’t be able to. But the lens quickly locked back on as the duck gained elevation passing right in front of me. This created a nice profile view of the pintail in flight, still throwing off droplets of water. The final image shows the departing pintail and some of those beautiful color bars I’d mentioned on its wings.

The departing Northern Pintail shows its beautiful wings.

In the end I was very impressed with how this lens handled tracking a bird in flight. It did a better job than I’d expected and many of the out of focus frames I captured were more due to my poor technique and being unprepared than they were through any limitation of the lens. At this point I’m considering purchasing one as a reasonably light weight walk around lens. I wouldn’t get it specifically for birds in flight, but at least now I know it’s capable of that. And if I don’t end up purchasing one I likely will ask to borrow it again.

Do you enjoy these posts?

Sign up to receive periodic emails with updates and thoughts. Don’t worry, I won’t spam you. And please consider purchasing artwork or products from my online store, and using my affiliate links in the sidebar to the right when shopping online.

I appreciate your support!