Red-capped Plover
Red-capped Plover
I think Red-capped Plovers have ADD (Attention deficit disorder). They just cannot keep still. Their miniature legs pump up and down like tiny pistons as they scurry over the sand searching for a tasty morsel. The funny thing is how they power walk for a metre or two then stop, then go, then stop again. The sudden flurries of attention certainly make them more noticeable, maybe they have to move like that catch their meals?
Either this bird is a female or is still maturing, as it lacks the distinct reddish collar of an adult male. If anyone out there can inform me it would be most appreciated. This particular bird was at Two Rocks beach, I went up there with some friends to try and get some landscape shots around sunset. We walked onto the beach and I was pleasantly shocked by a large number of birds on the beach. Obviously there was Red-capped Plovers, as well as Sanderlings, Silver Gulls, a Pacific Gull, terns and plenty of Pied Cormorants on one of the two rocks.
I tried to walk up to these little guys and they would just scamper off leaving me with terrible pictures of their backsides! So I thought a new approach was in order, I laid down on the beach near one of their feeding areas and gradually crawled closer. I must have been lying on the beach looking very strange for about 15 min or so when this plover must have felt sorry for me. It came and posed right in front of me, even to the point of not running around like a lunatic and acting like a normal bird. I get so excited in these situations that my heart starts thumping and I can’t hold the camera still! Image stabilisation sure is a lifesaver at times like these.
Til next time,
Love Wes
Wes Cooper Photography 
I love the depth of field in this one, and it almost looks de-saturated. Love it.
Thanks Adam, you are indeed correct, it has been de-saturated a little. Because the bird came so close it helped throw the background completely out of focus, very handy!