The First Week of the New Year

This was a good week for nature photography. As the rains subsided and the skies cleared there were a great many opportunities to get out and about. I needed to get out this week and get some shooting done. The most difficult thing to decide, where do I go? I checked the weather, the tides, and loaded the vehicle with my implements of destruction. The tide was high and the estuary was inviting.

My original intent was to shoot the large flock of White Pelicans that were floating near the shoreline. They had other ideas. As I approached through the flooding pickle weed, camera and tripod slung over my shoulder, I contemplated the need to purchase rubber boots, as my budget hiking shoes just weren’t repelling the water. I sloshed to the waters edge and the Pelicans floated away. Thinking sour grapes, they were backlit and I probably would have blown the exposure.

I noticed off to my left a glassy pond of water that had a rather large flock of American Avocets in it. It was spotted with the occasional Tern; I focused my Camera on them. As a good friend of mine often states, “Lets see what we are given today” Staying low to the ground, I shortened the two rear legs of my tripod and extended the forward facing leg. This allowed me to reduce my shooting angle. Desiring to keep my tush dry, I sat it on a nearby log and shot the Avocets from there.

In the early morning light, the Avocets were quite active. Their reflections in the still water only broken by their upturned bills plunging here and there for a morsel to eat. The Terns occasionally opened their bills as if yawning and bored by the constant running about by the Avocets. A behavior I’m sure that is something other than the anthropomorphic explanation I’ve given. In flew a snowy egret that put on a good show nearby offering itself as a great subject. I sat and photographed it for a while until it chose to fly away and fish elsewhere.

The sun rose close to noon and activity among my subjects waned. The American Avocets sat motionless with their heads tucked into their bodies, the terns closed their eyes and the tide began to recede. It was time to go home and see if I had captured anything worth keeping.