When it all comes together...

 

I love when it all comes together, the light, the gesture, and the story telling of a wildlife photo. I told you yesterday that this Semipalmated Sandpiper had a considerable injury on its left hand side and under its wing. The photo I show you today is my favorite of the whole shooting session, which lasted about thirty minutes. The click was made after the bird took a bath and dried and preened its feathers in the low, but still powerful evening sun. It was only a brief moment that the sandpiper tilted its head over the injury, like it would tell me, I don’t like to show this. The click made my day…

Nature clicks #231 - Semipalmated Sandpiper (?)

This Semipalmated Sandpiper should be in the lower Arctic regions by now, where it usually breeds during the summer. Nobody probably knows what inflicted the large wound below its left wing. This could be the reason that the little guy was left behind during migration. It may have been a bird of prey or any other predator the sandpiper maybe managed to escape from. However, it seemed to do OK and the bird enjoyed a bath and the following drying and preening process of its feathers at the boat launch of Finley’s Landing at the Mississippi.

As always, sandpipers are not easy to identify (at least for me). There are many combinations of feather patterns and color changes, and that’s why I put a question mark behind its name in the headline of my post. If you have another idea, please let me know. I’m always open for suggestions and like to learn the differences.