A Black-necked Stilt showing off it’s long legs like a model during fashion week. It’s walking the mud runway modeling this season’s latest feathers.
On another note, you don’t always get to see their feet, so it’s cool to get a shot like this.
I love American Avocets; they are such beautiful birds. Their heads are bright spots of color amongst the dull greenish-gray of the swampy areas where they hang out.
The day I took this it was really cloudy so the color is pretty muted compared to what they normally look like.
A huge flock of Snowy Egrets hanging out out at Lake Hodges. You hardly see them in groups, let alone in a flock this large.
On a random side note, I looked up what a group of egrets is called and here are the options you have: “congregation”, “heronry”, “skewer”, and “wedge.” My favorite? An “RSVP”! What? Is that possibly true? I found this list on multiple sites but I can’t help but wonder if they just are copy and pasted from one source that just made it up.
A Great-tailed Grackle turning away from the coming storm.
Another lifer for me!
This is a Blue Grosbeak. We met a wonderful birding couple on our hike around Lake Hodges. They lived in the area for years and went on the a hike around the lake everyday. When we got to a certain part of the trail, they mentioned that a pair of Blue Grosbeaks hang around there and this one landed on a branch right behind them while they were talking about it. I managed to get one shot before he flew off.
They were so sweet to be excited for us. It was a new bird for everyone in the group and we were thrilled. Birding brings people together. 🙂
A grumpy female Lesser Goldfinch.
A pair of Western Grebes start their famous mating run only to be joined by a third uninvited guest (the one in front).
If you are in the area, Lake Hodges is totally full of Western Grebes running around. It’s amazing to watch, although they are really far away. They are even too far for my Nikon P600 to get a clear shot. This was the only group that was close enough to get a good photo.
A Great-tailed Grackle hanging out on a creepy dead tree.
A Northern Mockingbird grasping onto a reed in a dried-up marsh around Lake Hodges.
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