Bar-tailed Godwit

This Eurasian species is a rare but regular vagrant in California where we might get 2 or 3 each fall. They're usually discovered in restricted access areas which aren't conducive for photography, so I was stoked to learn this vagrant had touched down on a public beach. The bird seemed very relaxed, and I was able to belly crawl towards it with a group of birders watching from behind me. Good thing I know how to approach shorebirds; if I had scared this guy off, then the birders would have been pissed! This headshot is a heavy crop isolated from a full body shot, but I think the image quality held up. I love the looming demise of the sand flea.......

San Mateo County, California, 10/17/19
Canon 600mm f/4 IS II + 1.4x III on EOS 1DX Mark II
1/2500 at f/5.6, ISO 800