It was the second time in my life I had seen a Long-billed Dowitcher, the day before was the first. But during my second encounter, it was my day off and I was going to get a picture worthy of this beautiful shorebird with a long bill.
This species breeds in tundra lowlands and foothills in wet sedge meadows. When we’re lucky, we get a rare look when one or two do a stop over in Banff NP on their migration route from southern to northern North America. Their long bill comes in handy as they forage for food in water that’s less than 7 cm deep.
The conditions were perfect. I was alone and could take my time to get the pictures I wanted without the two dowitchers that ended up spending a few days in the Bow Valley, being scared off. There was enough light to show their colours, but there was a slight breeze to create ripples in the water. I was far enough from them to behave normally. I lay down on the grass next to the water to get a better background, to hide the ripples and to get them to pop in the picture from their surroundings. Then I waited for them to get into the right spot. They kept busy foraging for food, even after I got the picture and walked away slowly from the area.
