THE STORY OF WOOD SANDPIPER

                           The photo of Wood Sandpiper took 4.prize in traditional series in
                           Kuusamo IX Nature Photo and 1.prize in Bird Portrait digital print
                           series in International Wildbird Photographer 2004 competition.
                           Specifications: 300D, 100-400 IS, 400 mm, 1/60, f/8 and ISO 400

It was Sunday afternoon in May, when we were on the way to summer cottage to enjoy the coming of summer. With me and my wife there were three our little children in the car. At this time we were supposed to spend only couple of hours there before driving back to home.

I knew that a Goldeneye couple was arrived to the cottage pond already two weeks ago. Displays were finished and nesting was going on in the bird box of nearby hillside.

A Spotted Redshank had been on the pond for some time. It was used to appear by the pier in the evening. I think that it had fall in love with night silence.

The last arrived was brave Wood Sandpiper. It was very interested in the peoples, who were bustled on the pier. We never saw its mate.  

Finally we came to cottage. I checked bird situation on the pond. I couldn’t see any birds, amazing. Same check trip to the pier happened many times during the afternoon. Only a couple of noisy Jackdaws bustled in the field side which is behind the pound.

The weather was very nice for photographing. Water surface was calm like a mirror. The sky was cloudy and the air was a little hazy. Light was very smooth just like a finish summer night. I thought that it was pity, because I couldn’t see birds.

Finally it was time to leave back home. Our children went to the car. With a little hope I hurried to the pier to check was there Wood Sandpiper.

And there it was!

It was looking for something to eat as if it had been doing in the whole day. Sometimes it caught food on the blank and sometimes watched around.

I moved back slowly from the waterside. I connected camera power on and started creeping behind sauna-cottage. I took first “test shots". -Too long exposure time and tripod was at home! It’s not possible to increase sensitivity, because the quality of photos must be very good. So I knelt and propped my elbow on my knee. Now Wood Sandpiper’s movement slowed down on the viewfinder. I took few shots.

I moved toward Wood Sandpiper little by little. It began to pause for watching me more and more like it was thinking ”what are you doing now”. I knelt again and tried to slow down the situation by steady position. Now distance was suitable. I took more shots.

Suddenly brave Wood Sandpiper had had enough about pushy company and jumped in the air. It flew to other side of the pound, where it could keep on looking for eatable things without being disturbed.

I had had time to snap about dozen photos. I wondered for a moment, if there were any successful shots.