Birds

American Avocets

November 30, 2016 by Tom Brown No Comments

I have always considered the American Avocet, Recurvirostra americana, one of the most elegant waders that we see here on the Baja. With its gray legs and black and white coloring, this large member of the stilt family is an occasional visitor to our area. In my past trips to the reserves and wetlands in the US, I have seen these birds gather in very large number after the breeding season, but rarely do we see mort than a few birds here on our tidal flats and brackish pond edges. Now that our migrants are returning in large numbers, I was quite surprised this last Sunday morning, as daylight broke over the La Paz tidal flats to see three large flocks of American Avocets, with a total of nearly 300 birds. They were gathered in amongst the Marbled Godwits, Willets, Whimbrels, and many other heron, egrets, and shorebirds.

walmart-blog-pics-9

It is always a treat to see all these new birds return to our area, and surprises like this are just icing on the cake!

american-avocet-1

 

lr-results

 

.american-avocet-3

 

lr-results-3

Written by Tom Brown
Tom Brown grew up in the high desert area of central Oregon. His love for birds and photography started at a young age. Thru the course of time, travel, and a lot of different occupations, he ended up living in Seattle, and met a girl with a sailboat. When he is not scouring whatever area they are in, looking for the next great bird photo, he can be found trying to earn enough money for the next adventure, and of course, a new lens or camera body! Having been nick-named “The Bird Nerd” by his last remaining friends and family, Tom continues search for that next lifer, and the accompanying photo that goes with it. Find his continuing adventures, photographs, and guiding opportunities at Focus on Feathers.