I spent two or three years at the coast looking for Long-Billed Curlews without any luck. So last year when I got a distant shot of one at Malheur I was thrilled. This year, though, I wasn’t nearly as happy when I saw this one in the distance even though it was much closer and I got a better shot.
It seems to be human nature to always want more than we have. Photographically, that means I want more than just a shot of a curlew walking across the grass.
I was a lot happier, though, when I caught a picture of this curlew with its wings spread out in the sunshine.
If you can’t catch a picture of one actually flying, this is the next best thing.
I never did see what happened in the end. When I decided to leave after nearly fifteen minutes, the bird they were trying to chase away was still voicing its displeasure.