Kauai 2014: day 9

Gloomy day that was much improved by the chance to photograph a sandpiper along the beach as the tide was going out. Lots of pics again today, so I'll jump right on in.

These first few shots were taken at slightly longer range than the majority of those I'll be featuring, but I liked how they provide a sense of scale (and of how windy it was that day):

Tossing down a bite to eat:

Strolling along a riffle:

Check out those waves in the background:

And now some closer looks at the bird:

Grabbing another bite to eat—I think it was hunting small crabs:

Continuing to stalk the reef:

I didn't even realize there was a hole that deep right there:

I really liked the droplet you can see at the end of its beak:

Managed to catch a bit of a reflection here:

Stretching those wings:

Liked the ripple you can see in this one:

Another reflection that caught my eye:

In this one, it still has a bit of water in its beak:

Time for a bit of preening:

Back to the search for food:

A bit of motion blur, but I liked the dynamic quality it brought to this photo:

Yeah, that's the spot...

Some more reflections:

Diving back in:

One more look at the bird with a morsel in its mouth:

And just to keep things interesting, a photo of a butterfly I spotted on some flowers as I returned to the house: