Cleaves: Photographic Work with Sandpipers 57 



before a bird was sighted somewhere along the water hne, where- 

 upon the photographer would gradually work him in the direction 

 of the camera. If the bird finally arrived at the desired point in 

 front of the spot, the thread was pulled and some result was 

 assured. But not infrequently the sandpiper would fly before he 

 was even near the camera, in which case it was necessary to retire 

 until another bird arrived, when operations were started anew. 

 Again, although the bird might pass in front of the concealed 

 camera, it often occurred that he waded too far out or passed too 

 close to be in the field of focus. On one or two occasions birds 

 have actually gone up to the blind and caught insects that were on 

 it, and many times they have run about behind the camera instead 

 of in front. 



One day a least sandpiper arrived at the pond. All attention 

 was at once turned to him, and after about an hour's work he was 

 photographed. 



It was at about this .time that the attractiveness of the barnyard 

 on the other side of the pond was discovered ; that is, its attrac- 

 tiveness for birds, if not for man. The soft muddy ooze under 

 foot contained numberless larvae, for which some of the sand- 

 pipers probed with much dexterity. Insects were present in 

 large quantities all over the surface of the ground, and were 

 sought principally by the spotted sandpipers. There were several 

 kinds of shore birds to be found here, however, and with one or 

 two exceptions they all stuck pretty closely to the barnyard. 

 There was one hard problem to be overcome. It was found that 

 the area away from the shore was so attractive to the birds that 

 they no longer followed the usual custom of feeding along the 

 water line; and the water line was practically the only place 

 where it was possible to photograph. 



During August, when the migration was at its height, it was 

 surprising to note the number of cripples and otherwise defective 

 birds that came to the pond. One spotted sandpiper, when first 

 seen, was flying in big circles out over the water. When he lit 

 and was approached he ran a short distance up the shore, then 



