Black-bellied Plover in habitat

Black-bellied Plover in habitat – Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1/1250, ISO 320, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light

I mentioned in my Tricolored Heron post a while ago that I like images where they show the natural habitat the birds live in, in part I feel that way because it lends a sense of place and also because of the visual interest the natural habitat gives to images. I can’t imagine the image above would hold much appeal for many people if this had been taken while the Black-bellied Plover stood on a blacktopped road.

This Black-bellied Plover was standing on a dune dunelet that wasn’t much higher than the sand around it that had sparse short grasses which I found appealing.

Black-bellied PloverBlack-bellied Plover – Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1/1500, ISO 320, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light

Both of these images are of the same bird, in this frame it had moved a little south and was closer to the tiny mangrove trying to establish itself on the dunelet.

I like to make a habit of including habitat whenever the opportunity presents itself and it often does.

More from my recent trip to Montana soon, I was too busy yesterday to process any of the images.

Mia