ML46425731

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

As last night's strong nor'easter was finally winding down, I found this little "chickadee of the sea" in a flooded portion of the unpaved road south of High Pines and about 50 yards north of the bayside pulloff just north of the 3rd crossover. The bird was energetic and trying to leave the large puddle but unable to manage the lift-off. After taking photos I grabbed a small towel from the car, wrapped it around the bird and carried it back to the pulloff where I placed it in the bay. It swam away on the surface toward deeper water, and I ran back to get the camera so I could have a concluding shot, but when I returned I was unable to locate it. I'm not sure whether it could fly but it surely would have kept trying, and being in "regular" water, it probably had a better chance for success. It certainly had the strength and the will as can be seen in the second pic below - notice the deep displacement by its feet as it tried to fly. In my hands it was strong and feisty, pecking at me as I carried it along! And in the water it swam away quite powerfully, so even if it didn't get airborne, it probably was well out in the bay diving about. A wonderful experience with apparently a happy ending. At least it's no longer in the path of the vehicles that parade up and down the road on their way to the Gurnet. I never thought I'd get to hold a live Dovekie! Unforgettable... A few photos below - enjoy!

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 40D

ISO

800

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/5.6

Shutter speed

1/250 sec

Dimensions

2982 pixels x 2080 pixels

Original file size

970.49 KB