Originally Posted by
Bill Dix
Good one, Joe. Shows him well in his (or her?) habitat. Well exposed.
I had exactly the same experience on Friday at Sandy Hook. I was able to crawl up relatively close to my bird, coming in behind a low rise on the beach in a very low, gradual approach. Like you, I was determined not to be the one to spook the bird, although when I first saw him my wife and I were the only ones on the beach. I watched and worked the beautiful bird for 40 minutes, with no sign of stress. Two other photographers eventually came up behind me, very stealthily and respectfully; and then some fool felt he could just walk right up to the bird, which of course flew down the beach. This person followed him, again tried to walk up to him, with the same result. By that time there were a number of birders watching from a distance. This event and a few others like it have prompted an anti-photographer rant on the local birding listserv, which unfortunately lumps all of us in with the few numbskulls. Most unfortunate.