Birds in Nature - images of wild birds by Richard Ditch

Subject: Ruff (Philomachus pugnax)
Place: Brigantine National Wildlife Refuge, Oceanville, NJ, USA
Date: May 21, 1988
Equipment: Nikon 8008, Nikkor EDIF 400/5.6, car window
Film: Kodachrome 64
Exposure: Aperture priority matrix metered
Scan: Minolta Dimage, 50% of frame

Commentary: The Ruff and Reeve (female) are essentially European shorebirds - the males have remarkable individual plumage; females are noticeably smaller than the males. Most breed from northern Europe to eastern Siberia; most winter in Africa. Small numbers move through North America; they have been seen in 42 of the lower 48 states.

When I lived in New Jersey the most reliable place to see this species was at the Pedricktown marsh in late March to mid April, but birds there was always hard to see and usually distant from the causeway. This bird was a real treat and surprise, seen close to the road at the Brigantine National Wildlife Refuge in late May.