I took a couple of hours today and visited the Farmington Bay Wildlife Refuge. I hadn't been up there since March so was curious about how it was faring.
It is much drier than in past years; I was able to walk out an OHV path to a stream where in the past it would have been much too wet. However, still lots of shorebirds - Avocets, Black-necked Stilts and the ubiquitous White-face Ibis everywhere. A Forster's tern or two took turns hunting over a small pond - these birds are infinitely graceful like ballerinas! I surprised - and was surprised by a Black-crowned Night Heron who flew in a circle to check me out and then off and away.
Lots of activity for only a couple of hours. Going back for a day when it is earlier and longer!
Here's some shots for you:
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| Yellow-headed blackbird watching me closely. |
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| Black-crowned night heron flew in a circle and checked me out. |
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| Flower and the bee. |
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| Mother Coot. |
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| Baby coot - he's even uglier than his parents!!! |
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| A classic view of the small islands in the pond with white pelicans and cormorants, with Canadian geese on the far shore. |
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| The Great Blue Heron rookery is pretty well settled this year. |
1 comment:
Mama coot looks angry. Is it the red eye? or the line of her mouth? Or did you threaten her baby?
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