The breeding plumage has a brown head.  Below is a picture taken in Utah.

I know I’m excited by his sexy brown head!  This picture also has a dragonfly, oooh.

The brown is very distinctive.  You can make out the Avocets from quite far away.  The picture below was taken in Newport Bay, CA back in March.

The Avocets let me get closer than many other birds.  They spend a lot of time starting at me, but not flying.  And when they do fly, it’s quite a view.

I really like how they hang out with other birds.  They’re a constant companion that make little whimpering noises in the background.

The Avocets will be leaving in a few weeks for migration.  I’m really going to miss them.

(photo by Jon)

Antelope Island is very dry.  It looks completely different from the last time we visited.  There hasn’t been a real rain in Utah since May.

To reach the island, you drive down a long causeway.  That’s where the real action is.  I have never seen so many ibis.

Last May was the first time I got a good look at an ibis.  And yesterday I had my fill!  The white portion on the ibis’ face is very very small.  Do you see the white along his brow line?

Here is a view of their red eyes.

Here is a view of their giant feet.  This guy was itchy.

Before this I had seen plenty of ibis, but they wouldn’t let you get too close.  So I have a lot of pictures of ibis flying away from me.

When they leave because you disturbed them, they make a very low grunt.  The picture below is not the best picture of the ibis, but it’s a beautiful picture of his poop!  It’s artistic.

I was able to get much closer yesterday because the ibis are brave in large numbers.  No one flew away from me.  Ibis eat by moving their beak in shallow waters to glean out invertebrates.

Avocets have curved beaks for the same purpose, but theirs curve upwards.

Lastly, I’m not sure if this is a juvenile ibis.  I can’t find any support for an ibis having those white spots on the neck, but everything else about him screams ibis.  If anyone knows what this is, please leave a comment.

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Once the festival finishes, Half Moon Bay prepares for the Christmas season.  You can visit with Santa, go on a pony ride, and pick up a tree.  The Christmas season has officially begun.  On the way home from birding today, I noticed that 20% of the cars had a tree on top.

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So today was a good day to get off the coast and away from the Christmas activities.  I headed to the Baylands in Palo Alto.  The Baylands is a group of marshes that are connected to freshwater inside the Bay.  If you ever want to see ducks and geese, go to the Baylands.  I saw eight new birds today.

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This post is about the American Avocet.  After almost a year of trying to find him, I saw my first one last week.  Today, I saw even more!  Isn’t it funny how that works?  It was the same thing with Black Phoebes.  It took me forever to see one and now I see them almost every week.  In fact, here:

I saw several today, and captured the best picture yet.

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Avocets have grey plumage in the winter.  During breeding season, the head turns brown.

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They find food by placing their bills underneath the water and moving side-to-side to filter out the crustaceans and aquatic insects.

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They also tip-up into the water to find food, although it’s more rare than their filtering method.

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The females have a bill that is more upturned than the male’s.  I’m guessing that the Avocet on the right is female.

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They’re very social birds.

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When they walk, the movement is so delicate.  He picks up a foot and lets it glide into the water, almost like a dancer.