Wilson's Snipe, sunset colours
The sun had set and its purplish colour on the clouds was reflected in a small patch of open water surrounded by snow and ice, but this Wilson’s Snipe continued to look for food to get it through a long night. This was on the winter solstice 2021 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, so the bird was facing 16 hours of darkness and cold temperatures. Thus the imperatives of survival forced it to abandon its usual secretive ways and continue to forage. (It is the case that approaching nightfall made it less conspicuous — I used fill flash to illuminate this individual in Carburn Park [it was not disturbed by the brief pulses of artificial light].)
Wilson's Snipe, sunset colours
The sun had set and its purplish colour on the clouds was reflected in a small patch of open water surrounded by snow and ice, but this Wilson’s Snipe continued to look for food to get it through a long night. This was on the winter solstice 2021 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, so the bird was facing 16 hours of darkness and cold temperatures. Thus the imperatives of survival forced it to abandon its usual secretive ways and continue to forage. (It is the case that approaching nightfall made it less conspicuous — I used fill flash to illuminate this individual in Carburn Park [it was not disturbed by the brief pulses of artificial light].)