Jeff Dyck
09-05-2010, 07:52 PM
I spent most of yesterday photographing in Oak Hammock Marsh just north of Winnipeg, Manitoba. I was hoping for a lot more wading birds, but they have had piles of rain lately and the water is high all around the marsh.
With my usual spots out of shape, I went looking for some new locations. I found a nice shallow creek / drainage ditch not far from the Interpretive Center. The edges of the creek looked pretty muddy (but manageable - I thought), so I put on my hip-high rubbers. As soon I stepped down off the bank, I knew I might have some trouble - I immediately sunk calf deep with both legs. I only had to go a step to get a good vantage point on several Lesser Yellowlegs and a couple Solitary Sandpipers. I snapped away happily for ~20 minutes getting mud all over my chest and elbows. When it came time to go I ran into some problems... In the time I had been there, I had sunk a little deeper and the mud seemed to have set up around my boots like cement. After fighting for a few minutes I was able to free up my left foot, but my right was in really solid. I was still beside the bank, so I was able to put my camera up in the grass while I tried to extracate myself. After another 10 minutes of fighting (my right leg still hurts this morning from pulling so hard with my foot!), I ended up having to remove my foot from the boot and gracefully drag myself up the bank. I then hopped around in my sock and found a good stick to dig with before heading back to the bank. Even with the stick, it took me a good 15 minutes more of sweating, cursing and fighting to get my boot back. The whole time I fought with my boot this Lesser Yellowlegs went about his business 25 feet away without a care in the world...
77793
With my usual spots out of shape, I went looking for some new locations. I found a nice shallow creek / drainage ditch not far from the Interpretive Center. The edges of the creek looked pretty muddy (but manageable - I thought), so I put on my hip-high rubbers. As soon I stepped down off the bank, I knew I might have some trouble - I immediately sunk calf deep with both legs. I only had to go a step to get a good vantage point on several Lesser Yellowlegs and a couple Solitary Sandpipers. I snapped away happily for ~20 minutes getting mud all over my chest and elbows. When it came time to go I ran into some problems... In the time I had been there, I had sunk a little deeper and the mud seemed to have set up around my boots like cement. After fighting for a few minutes I was able to free up my left foot, but my right was in really solid. I was still beside the bank, so I was able to put my camera up in the grass while I tried to extracate myself. After another 10 minutes of fighting (my right leg still hurts this morning from pulling so hard with my foot!), I ended up having to remove my foot from the boot and gracefully drag myself up the bank. I then hopped around in my sock and found a good stick to dig with before heading back to the bank. Even with the stick, it took me a good 15 minutes more of sweating, cursing and fighting to get my boot back. The whole time I fought with my boot this Lesser Yellowlegs went about his business 25 feet away without a care in the world...
77793