Purple Sandpiper

[Ed O'Connor]

Finally got down to see this late-flying shorebird at Tommy Thompson Park this afternoon. The bird turned out to be surprisingly docile and cooperative. Usually we only see one or two of these a year, so it was a real treat to get a few shots of this one. Sometimes I think they should be called "Gray Sandpipers," but in a good light you can definitely see a purple shading.
Purple Sandpiper by Edward O'Connor, on Flickr

[Dinusaur]

Very nice. I saw my first Purple there too, two years ago I think. Did you also manage to get the Barrow's Goldeneye?

[Shortsighted]

Well done, nice clear shot in diffused light.
Looked for one of these once at Sam Smith but
couldn't locate it despite reported sightings at
the time. Too bad you couldn't get right down
to earth so as to eliminate the busy stones that
are only slightly out of the focal plane I used to
wear a coat so old it didn't matter what happened
to it just so that I could hit the deck whenever it
was required. Were you moving along with it or
did you station yourself and let it come to you?
Man, I wish I could get out there. Thanks for
posting your discovery.

[Ed O'Connor]

Hi Dinu--Unfortunately, I didn't see the Barrow's. It's needle-in-a-haystack time unless the bird is fairly close to be bridge there. However, there was a Northern Goshawk making the rounds that I saw from a distance.
Shortsighted--I did actually kneel down at one point in the cold and wet sand to try and get a more direct shot of the bird, but none of those photos worked out. The bird itself restricted its movements to a fairly tightly-knit area, so there wasn't much I had to do as far as moving back and forth went. I've seen these birds several times over the years, but this was the first time I was able to get anything approaching a decent photo.

[Shortsighted]

Thanks for taking the time to describe the situation surrounding your crisp sandpiper
shot. I really didn't know whether this species moves along the shore at a clip, or if
it lingers in one spot just moving back and forth. At a lower shooting position I would
imagine that the bird would offer a fairly exclusive focusing target as being the only
object in the plane of focus. I almost always had a light-weight roll of foam, like a piece
of an exercise mat tucked under my backpack so I could position it on the COLD AND WET
SAND thus protecting my old coat from getting soaked. When done I just roll the dirty
mat dirty-side-in and tuck it back between backpack and back of coat until next encounter.
The fact that people would chuckle to themselves ... get a load of this knucklehead ... really
didn't bother me.

As example, the shot below of a SP Plover had a background surf that was so out-of-focus
at a ground-level shot that it made the picture more appealing, at least to me, although
the stick is something I could do without.

[orchidpoet]

Ed and SS, both shots are great!!

[Ed O'Connor]

Thanks, Charline!
Shortsighted--What a great shot of the Semi-palm. It would be worth having a slightly soiled jacket to get a photo like that. And re the stick, there's always a stick or leaf or some damn thing right where you don't want it--the fly in the ointment for nature photographers. I'll keep the foam pad in mind, but I'm already overloaded with equipment--adding one more item to the pile may be the straw, etc.

[Shortsighted]

What are you possibly loaded down with?
You must carry an impressively robust lunch.
Every good expedition needed bearers, preferably newbie's
that are tagging along so that you can impart your acquired
wisdom of the wild and photo skills. They don't pay, they
just carry. Yet, I know what you mean. It doesn't necessarily
seem like much kit but it drags you down after a while and
on the split it is a long while. The foam piece of mat is not
really weight, just bulk. It would be great to be 30 years old
again and be able to carry stuff without having pain or general
discomfort beyond the pain of losing a shot opportunity that
you should have been prepared for. I can always take an Acetaminophen
for a backache but there is no therapeutic dose for stupidity.
You know, distracted by one thing to miss another better thing.
Finding out your camera settings are way off because of a unique
photo situation that never worked out anyway and then forgetting
to reset the controls for the usual subject when it suddenly appears.
They say artificial intelligence can learn but I can't even do that, just
make the same mistakes over and over again. Maybe you can get
a third party, another set of eyes to go over your usual kit and try
to pare it sown, Do you really need the solar-powered coffee pot?