Where Did the Red Come From?

We rented a place in Holland, Michigan for 10 days and had a chance to go out birding with our friends the Mannings several times.  Although we have birded many places in the area, the Mannings took us someplace new – the north side of Pigeon Lake.  As we walked along the boardwalk we spotted a Herring Gull picking at a dead fish in the water.  I initially ignored it (I have lots of shots of Herring Gulls) but as I watched it out of the corner of my eye I noticed that the gull was suddenly surrounded by red water.  Here’s the shot:

It made for an interesting shot, but where did the red come from?  Here’s a satellite view from Google Maps; I was on the path along the bottom of the picture.

See that red house a third of a mile away on the opposite shore?  It just so happened that the house’s reflection formed a small red square on the water.  I had to be in just the right spot on the boardwalk to catch the gull in the reflection – five yards either way and I would have missed it.

The moral of my story?  You have to keep your eyes open (and your camera ready) and look for an opportunity to turn a ho-hum shot into a GreatBirdPic.

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