Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Curious American avocet, Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge

Curious American avocet at sunrise in Don Edwards NWR

The travel itinerary of my 2016 trip to California include a few nights in the South Bay, which meant I was in a great position to look for American avocets. In my opinion, these are by far the most elegant shorebird species, and I greatly miss having the chance to find them here in the Northeast. They're especially photogenic in their breeding colors, and it was a treat to encounter salt ponds filled with them at Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge. This location was one of my early favorites on San Francisco Bay, and I had a handful of spectacular trips there when I was learning the ropes of shorebird photography a decade ago. The park can be a little tough for eye-level photography since the trails are on elevated dikes around the ponds, but on this day the water level was down far enough that I was able to get low in the mud at a few places. This curious avocet waded fairly close to where I was set up, and the old degrading pilings were an interesting setting to contrast the elegance of the bird.

Shared with Wild Bird Wednesday -- follow the link to see this week's posts.

7 comments:

  1. Beautiful photo! Wonderful lighting
    Have a great day!

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    1. Thanks, Lea! It's the tail end of the sunrise light for this one.

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  2. Gorgeous lighting for the shot! Beautiful bird!

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  3. I saw only once American Avocet, it was so far away. On your photograph it's so close.
    Exceptional photograph of a beautiful bird!!!

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    1. Thanks, Kaya! It's always a treat to get close to any shorebird, and especially one this pretty!

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  4. Hello!:) Beautiful photography!:) I have never seen an American Avocet before. Thanks for sharing.:)

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  5. hahaha... that made me giggle ...thinking of you squatting in some mud...proabably in chest waders... just waiting patiently for some bird to wander by ....
    It is a beaut of a photo though...love the reflections....

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