Sanderling in mainly white winter plumage on Wisconsin Point, Lake Superior
In this episode of Shooting with Sparky we travel to Wisconsin Point to photograph migrating shorebirds and warblers. In the video you’ll see that I find a cooperative pair of Sanderlings, a small shorebird that commonly winters on the Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf Coasts but only breeds in the farthest reaches of Arctic Canada and Greenland. Flocks stop off to feed on the beaches of Lake Superior on their way North in late spring. Note that one of the Sanderlings has very white feathers (winter plumage) and the other has more reddish-brown feathers (getting its breeding plumage). The whiter one seems to have only one functioning leg, but his buddy won’t abandon him and sticks close. I was able to crawl through the sand to get some frame-filling shots and then put it in reverse and leave them foraging on the beach surfline without flushing them…The goal of all wildlife photographers; leave your subject as you found them. Enjoy the video!
Watch this 3-minute video to see just how glamorous wildlife photography really is!
Colorado Potato Beetle
Gray Catbird
Sanderling fluffing its feathers
Sanderling getting its reddish breeding plumage
All with Canon 7D and Canon 400mm f5.6 lens; Most at ISO 200, f7.1 at 1/250 with fill flash from Canon 430ex; most handheld and braced on binoculars.
thesparkygroup@gmail.com
OUCH, I felt your pain. Aunt Joanne
They really hurt for such tiny flies!
Thanks for taking me with you to the Shorebirds…
Just the respite I needed after spending days with husband in heart hospital and rehab.
Oh, such a gift.
Betty Vos Hemstad (we met at Chik-Wauk Museum)
Hi Betty! Sorry to hear about your husband…Hope all goes well. Just saw you (again) on Venture North…Perfect timing for the book as the wildflowers are really busting out. Take care, Sparky