ML619645233

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Medium sized shorebird with black wings, white body, and remarkably long red legs trailing behind in flight. We were just getting out for a quick pit stop and I was helping Louis move his boat when this bird came flying toward us, fortunately not too fast. Also fortunately I immediately recognized its unmistakable features, set down Louis’s boat, and ran 20 feet to my own to grab the camera and fire off some shots on the wrong settings, yelling to Louis all the time to make sure he got on it too. Fortunately the shots came out anyway. When a rare one surprises you like this it’s the best: no anxiety about chasing and possibly missing it, just the exhilaration of finding. As Shane said to me about another bird I found in this same spot a couple of years ago, self-found county birds are the crack cocaine of birding. I had him on the mind anyway because I believe this one may tie his final Brooklyn number, which is bittersweet. State bird #401, but more importantly, county bird #339.

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Lens

EF300mm f/4L IS USM

ISO

160

Focal length

300 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/7.1

Shutter speed

1/1250 sec

Dimensions

1064 pixels x 709 pixels

Original file size

131.16 KB