Pre-alternate Dunlin - 14 Apr 2023

This evening's ride at Pt. Mouillee was prompted by 80F weather, partly cloudy skies and very slight NE winds. Parking at Mouillee Creek and riding the Middle Causeway was fairly uneventful save for the arrival of more Dunlin. 114 were counted on the Humphries Unit mudflats next to the Pumphouse. Another 40 or so were seen along the south shoreline of the Vermet Unit near the Banana Unit. These birds were close and approachable, so I took the opportunity to get some long-overdue digiscoping.

This evening I was using the Sony a1 and the 45/2.5 lens and Digidapter™ DLM and Sony RMT-P1BT remote. I also used my "old" Bogen 3020 Aluminum Tripod (for the first time in many years) and Manfrotto 501HDV Videohead. The remote allowed me to pan while focusing and shoot w/ my panning hand. It also allowed vibration-free imaging.

I took some 4K / 120p videos and compiled them into a video at 50% speed. The camera zoomed in and caught individual birds resting, preening, bathing, and more preening at very high resolution!

I also took plenty of digiscoped images with a few captures with the 200-600 /5.6-6.3 G OSS lens:

These birds will disappear shortly and return in a couple weeks adorned in their brilliant orange and black breeding plumage. In the meantime, it was fun to spend some time digiscoping birds again.

The only other highlights were a Greater Yellowlegs at the Pumphouse, dozens of American White Pelicans in the Vermet Unit, and a pair of Horned Grebes. I would miss both a Greater White-fronted Goose (reported by Justin Labadie) and a Long-billed Dowitcher (reported by Linda Ar) in the Walpatich Unit.