Pic of the Day

Upland Sandpiper, Bartramia longicauda: Tallgrass Prairie Preserve; Pawhuska, Oklahoma

     A few years ago I took a short trip to the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve near Pawhuska, Oklahoma to photograph birds and wildflowers.  The Upland Sandpiper  is a breeding bird of the tallgrass prairie.   Spending its winters in Argentina this sandpiper migrate to the North American prairies in spring to nest.  Like many shorebirds the Upland Sandpiper ardently defends its nesting territory, and this bird was doing just that.  As I was driving along the back roads near Pawhuska, I found this bird perched on a fence post about seventy feet from the road.  As I got out of my van, the sandpiper flew from the post and landed on the ground faking a wing injury in an attempt to lure me from its nearby nest.  Knowing the ploy, I took a few more steps in the direction from where the sandpiper had flown.  As expected, the sandpiper promptly returned to its perched and tried to lure me away giving me the opportunity to shoot this image.  The Upland Sandpiper was formerly known as the Upland Plover.

Nikon D300, Nikkor 500mm f4, Digital Capture ISO 200   

Pic of the Day

Upland Sandpiper, Bartramia longicauda:

Tallgrass Prairie Preserve; Pawhuska, Oklahoma

Nikon D300, Nikkor 500mm f4 with 1.4 teleconverter, 1/200 second @ f6.3

Recently Published Work

1

Birding Escape:  Living Bird, Spring 2013

     Just received my spring issue of Living Bird in the mail.  My latest Birding Escape column on page 41 is about the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve near Pawhuska, Oklahoma.  Check Living Bird out on the web or subscribe at: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/page.aspx?pid=1201.  Also, check out the Living Bird facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Living-Bird/136517399750495 .

On the Road

     Upland Sandpiper – Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, Pawhuska, Oklahoma: I recently took a short trip to the tallgrass prairie in Oklahoma to photograph birds and wildflowers. The Upland Sandpiper (formely known as Upland Plover) is a breeding bird of the tallgrass prairie. Spending its winter on the Pampas of South America the Upland migrates to the North American prairies in spring to nest. Like many shorebirds the Upland Sandpiper ardently defends its nesting territory and this bird was doing just that. As I was driving along the back roads near Pawhuska, Oklahoma I found this bird perched on a fence post about seventy feet from the road. As I got out of my van, the sandpiper flew from the post and landed on the ground faking a wing injury in an attempt to lure me from its nearby nest. Knowing the ploy, I took a few more steps in the direction from where the sandpiper had flown. As expected, the sandpiper promptly returned to its perch and tried to lure me away a second time, giving me the opportunity to shoot this image.
Nikon D300, Nikkor 500mm f4, Digital Capture ISO 200