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<\/p>\nA single day can make a big difference in the learning curve of a very young Spotted Sandpiper.<\/p>\n
Every year I watch for the appearance of newly fledged Spotted Sandpiper chicks at a beaver pond in the mountains. A few days ago this year’s small batch made their debut.<\/p>\n
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As usual there were only two of them but they’re easy to spot as they forage in the mud and shallow water of the pond with one of the adults standing watch nearby. This photo of one of the tiny chicks was taken five days ago.<\/p>\n
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Both of the chicks like to forage on a sand bar in the middle of the pond but that means negotiating the deep (to them) water between the sand bar and the shore of the pond. Five days ago making that crossing was apparently an intimidating and scary adventure for them. If they could swim at this early stage in their lives they didn’t know it yet since they made the crossing in panic-mode, flapping their wings for the entire distance rather than swimming.<\/p>\n
This one didn’t stop flapping until…<\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/spotted-sandpiper-4717-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"spotted-sandpiper-4717-ron-dudley\\"")
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it had crossed the water and was safely up on the shore. On this day both chicks made the crossing by furiously flapping across the surface rather than swimming.<\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/spotted-sandpiper-5603-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"spotted-sandpiper-5603-ron-dudley\\"")
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But the very next morning both chicks were making the crossing leisurely and confidently by swimming without using their wings at all. When their flight skills are fully developed they’ll fly across the open water rather than swim so I was delighted to actually photograph this one swimming.<\/p>\n
My guess is that by now, four days later, they’re already flying with confidence so the window of opportunity for this bird photographer was a short one.<\/p>\n
Ron<\/p>\n
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A single day can make a big difference in the learning curve of a very young Spotted Sandpiper.<\/p>\n