I was locked on Jay, moving slow, heart already going. Then something flew past me: fast, close, warm brown and black and white. My brain didn't even finish the thought before my legs started moving. That's the thing about this. You stop thinking. You just follow. From bush to bush. Tree to tree. Crouching, crawling, losing him, finding him again. Light rain, warm day, wet grass, completely irrelevant. There is nothing else when you're in it. Just you, the bird, and the distance between you getting smaller. Three hours. Forgot to check my phone. Forgot everything except the next position, the next angle, the next ten meters of open ground I had to cross without spooking him. Then he stopped. Walked out into a small clearing, head down, working the soil with that incredible beak. Like he had no idea what just happened. Like those three hours were nothing. For him they were. For me that was the whole day. The best day. Year: May, 2026 Shot on Nikon Z6 III · NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR Format: MP4 Resolution: 4K