Upland Sandpiper, Sage Creek Valley, Badlands NP, South Dakota
I wasn’t even three hours in the National Park last week when the first surprise came along. An Upland Sandpiper crossed the road in front of me and landed in the grass below the hills that surround the Sage Creek Valley. I had never seen and photographed this bird before. Most of its relatives are usually found near water but this sandpiper has its home on grasslands. One of my field guides, iBird Pro, calls the Upland Sandpiper the “shorebird of the prairie” and I think this is an appropriate name. A wildlife photography trip can’t start any better!