SANDPIPERS PREFER THE SOLITUDE

A spotted sandpiper feeds along the muddy edge where the water level has dropped in Whoopie Cat Lake. It stands in one spot as I approach to within 30 feet and sit on a folding stool. The bird doesn't stand still, though -- it continues to bob its body in typical spotted-sandpiper behavior.

The 7-inch shorebird has an olive-brown back and white eye line. The white belly of its winter plumage lacks the brown spots of its summer plumage. A white wedge near the shoulder is distinctive.

Spotted sandpipers are usually seen singly along shores of small lakes and streams. They breed across Alaska and Canada to Central United States, and winter from southern United States to northern Argentina.

The sandpiper keeps one leg tucked and out of sight after scratching the sides of its head. It holds this pose long enough for me to draw before it resumes feeding. It humps from belly-deep water to the shore for some reason and raises its wings straight up over its back. Tiny frogs jump when the sandpiper walks.

I can relate to this spotted sandpiper because I prefer being alone in a remote pristine area too. I left my two fishermen one hill away at Tecumseh Lake and came here for the solitude.

The wind ruffles the water to where the lake reflects only the sky, except in the coves where it reflects the wooded hills. Gusts lift leaves from the trees, carry them out over the lake and continue to push them after they land on the water.

Pearl crescent and eastern-tailed blue butterflies come to the mud for the moisture. A dark swallowtail butterfly flies along the shore. It dips in front of me to show the metallic blue on the top of its hindwings, to be sure I identify it as a pipevine swallowtail and not a spicebush swallowtail.

A rust-colored dragonfly perches on a plant stalk waiting for insect prey to fly past. Another dark dragonfly patrols the shore. It has white on the outer half of its wings. Reflections stay close to the damselflies flying low over the water.

With wings slightly arched and body shaking, the sandpiper bathers by repeatedly dunking its head and then its body. Afterwards it preens and shakes off any remaining water.

A wide shadow passes over me and crosses the cove -- a turkey vulture. A question mark butterfly lands on the mud, showing me the orange with brown spots above and the silver question mark below as it slowly fans its wings.

No birds carry on conversations. Crickets chirp and grasshoppers buzz. Asters and goldenrods add color to the grassy shore. A frog jumps after an eastern-tailed blue that lands close.

The wind's not enough to cool the sun's heat.

The sandpiper and I rest and look out over the lake. A pied-billed grebe swims alone in the middle of the lake. The small bird sits low in the water. Its short neck and thick bill make the silhouette easy to identify.

The spotted sandpiper, pied-billed grebe and I continue on about our business. Each of us is alone ... and then we're not.

Kathy Phelps is a freelance writer and illustrator who resides in Harrisburg, Ill.