SNAPSHOT

“I was down on my belly, right on the edge of the water in the muck, when I took this shot,” says MELISSA GROO, a wildlife photographer from upstate New York who frequently visits Montana to photograph birds. “I had my camera mounted on a Skimmer Ground Pod, a device that looks like an upside down frying pan and allows you to slide your camera around on the ground to get the best angle.” Groo took this photograph of a marbled godwit at Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge, near Malta. “I was mainly shooting American avocets that day, but then I saw this guy, off on his own, preening. I especially like this particular photograph because the angle of the godwit’s bill matches the angle of its body. It expresses the gracefulness of these beautiful birds.” ■