Birds and Nature

Brightly colored male Cinnamon Teal are all around the area now even flooded agricultural fields like this one in Florence, CO where I found this guy. These Greater Yellowlegs were the first I have seen this year and are all decked out in their spring plumage. Also saw one Lesser Yellowlegs but didn't get a pic. SeEtta

As I live in a semi-arid part of Colorado, and we have few ponds/lakes, most migrating shorebirds and waterbirds that make it over this way utilize the flooded agricultural fields in Florence and Canon City areas. As this flood irrigation is not very efficient, and many of the agricultural fields on the edges of these two towns get supplanted by housing, flooded fields like these are in decline, though still slow due to a very sluggish economy and little building in this area. So what do these birds find to eat in flooded fields: Mostly various types of insects, small aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates, small fish, frogs, vegetation and seeds (depending on species of bird). I have certainly watched White-faced Ibis pull either large worms or small snakes out also. SeEtta

Though most of the Yellowlegs that are migrating through my area of Colorado are Greater Yellowlegs, I did get this pic with both a Lesser and a Greater in the same frame that shows some of the differences in these similar species. The bill on the Lesser is much shorter relative to the size of it's head than the Greater. The bill on the Greater shows a slight upturn and though more distant in this pic, it is larger in size (tho a very difficult difference to judge in the field when Lessers not present). Also liked this pic of the Lesser Yellowlegs I photographed as it foraged in the flooded agricultural fields that become like wet meadows when flood irrigated. Both pics can be best viewed for details by double-clicking to enlarge each one. SeEtta

I found this first-of-the-year shorebird working in a flooded field in Florence, Colo with some Canada Geese and a few ducks. SeEtta