This pair of stilts had a nest nearby that they were watching over. I couldn’t tell if there were eggs there yet, but they didn’t seem to stray too far. I photographed them on a windless morning (great for reflections due to the glassy still water) about an hour after sunrise.
Whenever possible, I try to position myself in between the sun and the subject I am trying to photograph. While side-lighting can add interest to a landscape, smaller subject matter almost always looks better with direct front light. Sometimes if the physical space around an animal doesn’t permit this positioning I’ll go ahead an take the picture anyway, but those usually go straight to the garbage bin.