Artist: Sean Neilson

In most places where Black Oystercatchers nest in Glacier Bay, their chicks will hatch in early June. This chick, however, was hatched in August because its parents chose to nest very near the face of Johns Hopkins Glacier. At those upper reaches of the bay, everything starts late and ends early and “summer” might only last for a few weeks. I took this shot while I was camped near the face of the glacier. I was focusing on the chick as it walked underneath the arch created by its parents’ sword-like orange beaks.