Just returned from a trip to the subtropics, starting to download pics. One of my favorite things to do where we stay, topside, is to watch the Black-necked Stilts, a spectacular flocking shorebird totally unknown in the Pacific Northwest where I live. Most afternoons we wandered down the road to a lookout over a brackish pond, and could hear them chirping to each other, unseen behind the dense shrubbery.
Where the view opens up at the lookout, it’s easy to spend an hour watching them interact and display their incredibly long legs and necks, a visual delight and a fascinating peek into their lives. The ponds were fairly shallow this year due to months of drought, but as it happens their extremely long legs are perfect for many depths, including the minimal water there right now, so we got some good looks.
Enjoy the stilts…
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I’m back in the Northwest now, where it’s been wet, as compared to the drought in the Caribbean.
Some fun photos to kick off the bucket today.
Time now for you to share what you’re seeing in your natural neighborhood . . .
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