All I can say is "Be careful what you wish for!!" As Bud and I readied to go for our birding walks on the islands, I said to him, "I hope we see something different today!" He just smiled. Knowing all too well, that migrating hasn't begun yet, and my hopes in seeing something other than the native, resident, year-round birds was pretty close to nil. Well, let me begin by saying....I DID see something different! We ended up at a favorite area I like for seeing a multitude of bird species. Altho, the past month it's been dry with no rain in sight, and the water holes are drying up, we are still fortunate for the many birds that grace our shores. Bud stayed behind this time since it was so darned hot out in the full sun. He stayed behind, at the shaded area of the cotillion and near the pond frequented these past few weeks with barn swallows raising their young. I enjoyed my walk, but was getting very hot, so I decided to cut the trail by half and turn around to go back and travel to another area by car.
Returning, getting close to the cotillion, on the last trek of the trail, I was looking to my left, to my right...in search of bird life in the bush and remaining prairie grass. Minding my own business, enjoying the quiet solitude. I wasn't paying much attention when I glanced in front of me...about 20 feet away [some 6 meters], on the gravel path....a big o' fat snake. I stopped dead in my tracks!!!! Taking photos of course. At first, with the sunlight playing tricks on me, I thought the tail was 'too pointed' to be a rattlesnake I HATE SNAKES!!! Then....as it crawled into the grasses...through the binocular lenses, I could see the pitted shape of the head.
A DIAMONDBACK RATTLESNAKE!! [western diamondback since it had black and white rings on the tail before the rattlers] Once the path was 'cleared' of the viper, I waited for a few more minutes, then I walked past the area without getting bitten. I count my lucky stars.
I learned my lesson. I'll be more specific next time I make a wish. "I hope we see different... BIRDS!!!"
- - -
Now that that is out of the way [both in photos and mind - partially -], I'll get to the common birds found again this past week. Lately, birding has been like a re-run on TV. Same birds mostly:
The most abundant this particular day were the stilts again. And what a ruckus they made for my intruding their domain!! And their antics were quite fun to record on camera!! Here is one in particular that seemed to be focusing on me and trying to steer me away from its territory. First on the agenda was the
loud calling of warnings
then, landing a good distance from where I stood, a dance routine begins. Fluttering of the wings and swiftly moving back and forth.---
...after the fluttering of rapid wingbeats, it would toil to lay down all the while still chattering loudly...
For an instant it would become silent, only to begin the flyover and yap yap yap routine again, and again.
Later, as I continued my walk, high above a single Magnificent Frigatebird did a flyover...
Another one I noticed was a favorite egret of mine...the Reddish Egret in dark morph in what little water remains:
With the sun glaring down on me in the open fields, I decided, before I got too hot and miserable, it was time to turn around and head back to Bud and hop in the car to drive to another favorite area. Leonabelle Turnbull Refuge. Turning the corner to peruse the marsh and reed waterway with our binoculars, we were greeted by a 1st summer Orchard Oriole...
Getting to the more open area Coots, cormorants, terns, egrets, spoonbills, grackles, stilts, frigatebirds [3...one adult female and two juveniles], moorhens [common gallinules], the ever-present mockingbirds, and a couple species of sandpipers and killdeer were spotted. I saw one lone teen-aged American Coot:
and a calling of an adult coot in the tall reed along the boardwalk ---then, a faint cry of a baby chick. I waited patiently in hopes of it introducing itself to the world from the hidden protection of the water grasses:
BLACK NECKED STILT TRIVIA: Of the long legged birds of America,
the stilt is 2nd in body and leg proportions...that of the Flamingo has the longest.
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