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Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularia
The Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularia) breeds across most of North America and winters across the southern states and into Mexico. In the spring and summer nesting season this species gets a fairly bright orange bill and has a distinctively spotted breast and belly. In the non-breeding season, however, the bird loses it colorful bill as well as its spots. The birds characteristic rapid waling with a bobbing action helps to identify it. The first two shots shown here show a breeding plumaged Spotted Sandpiper which was a northbound migrant when I photographed it in Kenedy Co., Texas, in April, 2000, with a Canon EOS 3 and EF 600mm F/4 L lens and 1.4X extender on Fuji Velvia. The next shot shows a bird in non-breeding plumage in Austin, Travis Co., Texas, in October, 2005. This was a digital image with a Canon EOS 1D Mark II and EF 600mm F/4 L IS lens and 2X extender. This bird would likely winter at this location.
The Spotted Sandpiper in breeding plumage in the next two shots was in Austin, Travis Co., Texas, in April, 2008. These shots were taken with a Canon EOS 1D Mark III and EF 600mm F/4 L IS lens and 1.4X extender.
The next 11 images of Spotted Sandpiper were all taken in Austin, Travis Co., Texas, in January, 2010, with a Canon EOS 1D Mark III and an EF 800mm F/5.6 L IS lens. The first shots show a winter plumaged Spotted Sandpiper using some pond sliders as stepping stones.
The Spotted Sandpiper in the next two shots was a basic (winter) plumaged bird on South Padre Island, Cameron Co., Texas, in December, 2010. These shots were taken with a Canon EOS 1D Mark IV and an EF 800mm F/5.6 L IS lens. In the shot on the right, the bird is stalking a small insect.
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularia
Hornsby Bend,
Austin, Travis Co., Texas
8 May 2013
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularia
Hornsby Bend,
Austin, Travis Co., Texas
8 May 2013