Birds and Nature

Yesterday I birded in the lower Arkansas Valley during a very unusual cool spell (usually close to 100 in this area but lower 70's yesterday). I found these Black-necked Stilts in the yucky water of a stockyard wastewater pond in Ordway,CO. Also enjoying the yuck were some American Avocets and a few Franklin's Gulls. Like other yucky places, this pond is a big hotspot for lots of birds species so I always check it when I'm in the area. SeEtta

These pics are not the greatest because I didn't want to stress the parent bird by getting closer or staying longer to get better shots as I don't believe that recreational photography or birding justifies such intrusiveness. I was surprised the parent bird was disturbed by my presence since I was over 100 feet away and I stayed inside my car, but some species and even some individual birds are more sensitive than others. The he parent Black-necked Stilt is standing near her offspring in the top pick. Even with it's poor quality it shows well the reddish pink legs that is an indicator of adult females per Birds of North America (BNA) online. Juveniles have brownish irises and "Juvenal plumage has similar pattern to adult but dark feathers of upperparts brown with buff margins creating a scalloped effect" according to BNA. This scalloping effect can be made out on the two juveniles (both sitting on their legs). The pale legs of the one juvenile are clearly s...