Upland Sandpiper, Badlands National Park, South Dakota

The upland sandpiper may not have the most spectacular coloring, but makes up for it by cutting a fine looking profile. You’d expect a bird like this to be found in coastal areas, but this species of sandpiper favors the open fields of the central part of the country. This one was photographed in South Dakota in Badlands National Park. As for diet, upland sandpipers will eat just about anything, including grasshoppers, crickets, weevils, beetles, moths, ants, flies, bugs, caterpillars, millipedes, spiders, snails and earthworms. All the good stuff. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second.