Morning hours have gold in their mouth is a well-known German proverb. While I often struggle to get out of bed in my daily life, I can’t get up early enough in my free time. Most birds are most active in the early morning hours. Additionally, as a photographer, I can approach my feathered subjects under the cover of darkness without scaring them away. The fact that the light around sunrise is the most beautiful light of the day is the icing on the cake. In this second post about this year’s autumn migration of wading birds, I’ll share how I took advantage of the early morning hours to photograph various wading birds at a small pond.
This summer, I spent the end of August on the island of Texel. During a walk with a friend, I noticed a pond in the De Slufter nature reserve. This pond was home to various species, including Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia), Wood sandpiper (Tringa glareola), Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus), and Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago). It featured species that I wanted to photograph again, as my best photos of Greenshanks and Green Sandpipers are old, I’m not satisfied with my Snipe photos, and I had never captured a Wood Sandpiper before. The small lake seemed to offer ideal conditions to improve my photo archive.
The Greenshanks were already wading through the water long before sunrise. Photographing in this darkness is challenging, but the lighting conditions make it particularly rewarding.
In the following days, I visited the pond three more times, twice with friends. The only thing better than ornithology is enjoying it as a group activity. During each visit to the pond, we saw my »target species.« While walking, I already considered where I would position myself for the shoot, guided by the following questions: Which spots along the shore are accessible for me? What background would the photos have from those spots? Where would the sun be?
The Green Sandpipers often approached me to within the minimum focusing distance of my camera. I had never before seen that you could look through the nostrils in their beaks.
There was no question about the approach for the shoot. I would stealthily make my way to the shore in the nighttime darkness to avoid scaring the birds away. The weather report predicted single-digit temperatures for the next few nights. Since lying on the ground in such temperatures can lead to quickly getting cold—and I would need to lie there for several hours—I had to wait a few days until the shoot.
Only the heart captures the most beautiful moments
On that eagerly awaited morning, my alarm went off at 3:30 AM. About half an hour later, I arrived at the pond. I sprayed myself generously with anti-mosquito spray (highly recommended!), put on my camouflage suit, crept to the shore, and lay down in the suitable spot. It was cold, but bearable. Since it was still too dark to photograph, I took a little rest. With the upcoming shoot in mind, it would have been impossible for me to sleep; my excitement was too great.
Finally, a Wood Sandpiper! I first spotted this wading bird with its beautiful back pattern in 2021, but I didn’t manage to take my first photo until three years later.
Two snipe waddled grumbling through the shallow water from the opposite shore, coming within two or three arm lengths of me. Those who have experienced such moments know how special they are. Such encounters at such close range and in the darkness can never be captured in photos.
Before sunrise, I was able to take my first photos. I used a bean bag as a tripod and the burst mode on my camera. In burst mode, my camera takes seven shots per second. This way, amidst many blurry photos, I usually manage to get one or two sharp images.
This time, however, I found that all the photos were unusable. The reason: the front lens had fogged up. For a moment, I thought all my effort had been in vain, as I still don’t know of any remedy for fogged lenses. I decided to wait a bit, then cleaned the lens, and if it fogged up again, I would simply keep waiting. After all, it was still nearly night, and I hoped the lens wouldn’t fog up again with the break of dawn.
My hope was fulfilled. I first captured shots of the Greenshank, and then the Green Sandpipers came close to me. The Wood Sandpipers also made an appearance and posed for the camera. Even the shy Snipe showed up later. Other visitors at the pond included Common Redshank (Tringa totanus), a young European Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia), and White Wagtail (Motacilla alba).
As it was relatively calm that morning, the water surface was quite smooth in places, and I enjoyed incorporating the reflections of the birds into my images. Different layers of clouds passed in front of the rising sun, creating a variety of lighting conditions and color nuances within just a few moments. This morning couldn’t have been more beautiful.
