5th day of lockdown. Jamaica Bay Nature Reserve in New York is a well known place for bird photography. I turned up on an early morning in August and looked around puzzled. I could see lots of birds, but there was no hide and access for the car was impossible. How did photographers get close to these waders out on the mud flats. I waited for the first American photographers to turn up. They simply walked out to the birds and got as close as they liked. The birds just stayed put.
If this was the U.K. firstly access to such a site would be banned and it would be necessary to put up a hide and sit around patiently for hours in the hope something approached.
Not only are the birds so tame, but the settings are beautiful. Shallow water lapping into green grass. I went to a nearby fishing tackle shop and bought a pair of chest wader as lying down in the mud was a messy business.
Semipalmated plover, Charadrius semipalmatus, single bird standing in water with reflection, New York, USA. Canon EOS 1ds Mk3. 500mm lens plus 1.4 extender. 400 iso. 1/1250th at f6.