A few tips to help you actually catch these birds, whether it's with a camera or just your own two eyes, because a little know-how goes a long way out here. First and most important: patience beats everything. The folks who see the most aren't the ones with the fanciest gear — they're the ones who pull off, shut the engine, and just sit quietly for ten or fifteen minutes letting the birds forget the car is there and come back in close. Rushing gets you nothing out here.
Second, mind the sun. Try to keep it behind you, at your back, so it lights the birds up rather than throwing them into silhouette — that's why the low, warm light of early morning and late afternoon is a photographer's dream here, and the harsh overhead light of noon is the hardest. Third, let the car be your blind. Birds are far more relaxed around a quiet vehicle than a person on foot walking toward them, so shoot from your window when you can and resist the urge to creep closer; the moment you get out and approach, they lift off, and you've spooked them for everyone behind you too. If you've got binoculars or a long lens, wonderful, but even bare eyes will do fine at low tide when the birds are close. And scan slow — really slow — along the mangrove edges and the back of the flats, not just the open water; half the good stuff is standing stock-still in the shadows waiting for you to notice it. Quiet, patient, sun at your back, stay in the car. That's the whole secret. Roll on.
Photo: Charles Patrick Ewing · CC BY 2.0
