The colors and upturned bill makes the American Avocet an easy ID.
Getting a good photograph across the mud flats of this impoundment at Bear Island Wildlife Management area was another story.
This single one ventured closer to the edge, co-mingling with Plovers, Sanderlings, Willets and the other shore birds working the shallow water.
Bear Island Wildlife Management Area, SC, 4/26/2017.
It’s easy to see how this bird got its name. The Black-necked Stilt is a shore bird that has thin and delicate legs, giving the it an awkward looking walk.
This was my first sighting of a Stilt and I was quite impressed with his colors and precise movements.
He went back and forth along the edge of the tidal water, poking and prodding as he went.
Even more striking when flying, I saw several groups of two and three zipping by without getting an in flight shot. This take off shot and shadow will have do for today.
This turned out to be just a short hop to a new lunch spot.
Himantopus mexicanus
