photoartflightWillet Shorebird – Eye To Eye with Prey
I came across this Willet looking for a meal at J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in Sanibel, Florida. These are from a visit years ago. I was using a Sigma 300-800mm f/5.6 lens on a Canon 1D MkIII. These are all at 800mm. It caught a small reddish orange crab that seemed to only have one eye. It was trying to swallow it but as it was trying it lost its grip and was holding it by one leg. Then that leg broke off and the crab fell into the water. But it managed to catch it again and have it’s meal. I thought the crab got away but the Willet won in the end.
photoartflight 
Not a good day for Mr. Crab! 😉
Yes! But the bird had a good day!
Super sequence, Reed. Too bad for crabby. The leg would have regrown had he moved quicker on the ones that were left.
Thanks Steve! But the Willet had a good day!
Terrific photos!
Thanks Belinda! It was interesting to watch & photograph!
Beautiful shots! That 800mm sure is nice. Makes me quite jealous! God bless, William
Thanks William! It was a Great lens! But getting older it was too much to lug around plus the weight of a sturdy tripod. I actually sold it and got more than I paid for it. I use a Tamron 150-600mm now and is a lot easier to use. Plus I found a 2x teleconverter that autofocuses with it for more reach.
Absolutely love this action series, Reed, fantastic captures!!
Thanks Donna! Now that I am retired, I have time to go through old files I never worked on before because work usually got in the way! I only have 30+ backup hard drives to go through!
I’m in the same boat, and being in Florida now for almost three months, I am busting at the seams from just them, lol. One of these days, we’ll get through them all…… Right? lol