So it was a bit of a surprise when Scott Tsagarakis found a second one on the mudflats in Charlestown Wednesday. I got a chance to see it on Thursday morning before a whale watch I went on at 1 pm.
When the first one showed up in early July, I was at Napatree in the evening looking at one of those other mega rare birds. I rushed to the Breachway getting there just before sundown. I got to see the bird, but because the light was fading, I only got a few proof photos. However, I saw two lifers in the same day, so I wasn't complaining about photos!
Thursday and also Friday morning I hit the Breachway. The Little Stint was still there both days. Unlike yesterday where I had a whale watch boat to catch, today I didn't have anything else to do. I spent about four hours on the mudflats. I watched the stint for around an hour. I sat down on the wet sand about thirty feet from the stint and a few hundred other peeps. The nice thing about sandpipers is they really don't fear humans. I think some of them prefer to be near people because they are safer from a swooping Peregrine Falcon.
Because I was sitting and not posing a threat, the peeps got really close to me. Some of the Semi-Palmated and Least Sandpipers were just out of arms length. They were all around me feeding as though I wasn't there. This is a regular occurrence if you are quiet and still.
As I said, the first time I saw a Little Stint a month ago, the light was fading. I didn't have a chance to sit quietly and enjoy the bird. Today, I had everything going for me. I had the time, better light, and a bettter camera. It was a privilege to photograph a bird that should be at a minimum in Portugal right now!
I could and will crop and play with the lighting on some of the photos, but all of these are uncropped and untouched
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| Least Sandpiper |
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| Semi-Palmated Sandpiper |
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| This little Least Sandpiper decided to take a nap only about eight from me. |
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| This was my best photo of the Little Stint I saw on July 6 |
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