American Avocets at Sunrise
Had beautiful weather this weekend along the Texas gulf coast. Needed to add to my shorebird portfolio for Audubon’s photo contest so made a trip back to Bolivar Flats Audubon Shorebird Sanctuary. Will see out there next time Sheldon.
Tide was going out and fairly low when I got there before sunrise. It was one of those rare days with no wind and flat surf on the Gulf of Mexico.
The surprise of the morning was seeing a fin coming out of the water behind a small flock of avocets, just offshore near the parking area. It was a dolphin hunting for fish, which was only the second time that I’ve seen a dolphin out there in the past 15 years. Took some video of him but missed the money shot when he jumped out of the water with a fish just off of his nose.
After that excitement, settled into getting some avocet photos and videos. Here is one of my favorites with back-lit feathers on some incoming birds. My happy place for sure.
1/3200 sec @ F10, ISO 800, evaluative metering, 700mm (R3 + 100-500 + 1.4X), Skimmer ground pod
Tim Timmis Photography 
Beautiful as always Tim. Looks like you picked a perfect day! See you there next time……….
February 26, 2024 at 3:24 pm
Thanks Sheldon! I’ll let you know the next time that I’m heading that way.
February 26, 2024 at 4:05 pm
I am not familiar with those beautiful shore birds, so thanks for this introduction. I love the variety of colors in your photos which certainly accent the large outstretched wings and a fin! What a wonderful experience! Great photos as always.
February 27, 2024 at 10:14 am