While I was looking for dragonflies last Friday at a small pond at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I spotted this Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria) foraging in the shallow water. As its name suggests, the sandpiper was all by itself, with not another member of its species visible.
The bird was quite skittish, so I was not able to get close to it and observed it from a distance. The sandpiper was in almost constant motion as it waded through the water, periodically dipping its head down to hunt insects, crustaceans, mollusks, amphibians, and other prey. I think that the Solitary Sandpiper was having some success, though it was hard to tell for sure.
I was happy to be able to capture this shot of the bird as it plunged its opened bill into the water. The reflection of the sandpiper and the surrounding area in the water was a nice bonus.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 