At Water’s Edge

(Marbled Godwit)

What could possibly go wrong? Not much when you use one of Becky’s sunset shots and a Marbled Godwit for models. This bird is the cinnamon-colored ballet dancer of the Pacific beaches and summer short-grass prairies. What a joy to see.

The graceful bird feeds on invertebrates of all kinds most of the year, but exists almost entirely on plant tubers during migration.

It nests in the interiors of North and Central America. Draw a fine line on a map along the coasts of North and Central America and you would accurately illustrate their wintering habitats.

They mingle with drab Willets,
distinguished by curving, two-toned beaks
and the loveliness of their cinnamon-colored feathers.

At dawn or dusk
their silhouettes glow,
their shadows seep black into sparkling sands.

In flocks overhead,
they chatter together
like youngsters at bedtime in gentle laughter.