Birds in Nature - images of wild birds by Richard Ditch

Subject: Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)
Place: Water Ranch, Gilbert, AZ, USA
Date: October 2002
Equipment: Nikon N90S, Nikkor AF-S 300/2.8 & TC20E (= 600/5.6), tripod
Film: Fuji Sensia 100
Exposure: Aperture priority matrix metered
Scan: Minolta Dimage, 80% of frame

Commentary: Least Sandpipers are a common migrant in AZ, but finding suitable places to photograph them is a challenge. Locations are either barren, or don't allow for a close approach. I'd been wanting to find a place where I could try getting low, and ended up at a shallow basin in an artificial wetland established to return treated wastewater to the ground. I was able to get this view by wearing kneepads.

The full frame contains a complete reflection of the sandpiper's head, but I prefer this cropped version that has a lower feel to it.