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<\/p>\nAnd my first look ever at a recently hatched Spotted Sandpiper chick. This little guy is cute as snot (to paraphrase my ex wife).<\/p>\n
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1\/1600, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n Because they’re so elusive and shy I very rarely get completely clear shots of catbirds. But yesterday morning in the mountains this one was interacting with a group of immature robins in a camping area so it was much bolder than usual and I was able to get off about a dozen quick shots while it was perched on this leaning fence post quite close to me.<\/p>\n Readers may remember our recent discussion about two of the primary types of bird photography – Bird On A Stick (BOAS) and Bird In Habitat (BIH). I guess this photo would fall in the BOABS category, as in Bird On a Big Stick…<\/p>\n I wish I had enough depth of field to get the tail sharper but I do like the clean look at an elusive catbird.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/400, f\/11, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n But the biggest surprise of the morning was to find several recently hatched Spotted Sandpiper chicks near a creek bottom. They were far away and I only got photos of this one but what a treat to watch it through my viewfinder. While I was following it with my lens I mostly waited to take photos of it hoping it would eventually walk into this narrow beam of light filtering through the nearby bushes. And finally it did.<\/p>\n Anyone familiar with Spotted Sandpipers knows of their penchant for “teetering,” an up and down bobbing of the entire body similar to the motion of a teeter-totter or seesaw. They teeter almost constantly whether they’re walking or standing still. I call it butt-bumping and it’s cute as hell to watch. Well this little guy was already teetering even at this tender age. In fact, teetering begins at 30 minutes after hatching, a full 90 minutes before they even begin to eat or preen.<\/p>\n The behavior is deeply engrained in their DNA but the function of teetering is unknown.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Note: If you’d like to see Spotted Sandpiper chicks and adults “teetering” here’s a link to a video clip<\/a>.\u00a0 Thanks for the link Muffy S. Gately.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" And my first look ever at a recently hatched Spotted Sandpiper chick. This little guy is cute as snot.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/solitary-sandpiper-2461-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"solitary-sandpiper-2461-ron-dudley\\"")
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