|
Purple Sandpiper at Presque Isle State Park, Gull Point, Erie County
Harlequin Duck at Freeport, Armstrong County
On Saturday 2/9, Drew Mortensen found this Purple Sandpiper at Gull Point in Erie County, and happily it was still present
the next day when I and several others made the trip to see it. While at Presque Isle, an alert came across that Dan Yagusic
had found a Harlequin Duck on the Allegheny River near Freeport in Armstrong County. Purple Sandpiper and Harlequin Duck in
the same day? Was this Barnegat Lighthouse in New Jersey or western Pennsylvania?
Anyone who has seen Purple Sandpipers at Barnegat or elsewhere on the coast knows that they can be a very tame and confiding
species. The bird at Gull Point was no exception. One needed only to keep a low profile and have some patience, and the bird
would approach very closely. As can be seen from the first photo, it was much more focused on feeding on gizzard shad and
other bits and pieces than anything else.
|
| Canon 1DMkIV, 500mm f/4L + 1.4x TC III, 1/2500 sec. at f/10 (manual), ISO 800, tripod |
|
| Canon 1DMkIV, 500mm f/4L, 1/2000 sec. at f/10 (manual), ISO 800, tripod |
Occasionally it would skate across the ice to a different feeding location, slipping and sliding along the way, and actually
losing its footing from time to time. Some of my photos revealed how much it was trying to dig its tiny claws into the ice
as it did this, in an effort to keep its balance. It wasn't really working.
|
| Canon 1DMkIV, 500mm f/4L + 1.4x TC III, 1/2000 sec. at f/10 (manual), ISO 800, tripod |
|
| Canon 1DMkIV, 500mm f/4L + 1.4x TC III, 1/2000 sec. at f/10 (manual), ISO 800, tripod |
Finally, as last hour of daylight was drawing near, I made my way home via Freeport to have a look at the Harlequin.
The bird was on the other side of the river so a pretty bad documentation photo was all that could be had:
|
| Canon 1DMkIV, 500mm f/4L + 1.4x TC III, 1/250 sec. at f/5.6 (manual), ISO 1250, tripod |
|
