Lake Cochise

I drove over to Lake Cochise in Willcox looking for the Northern Waterthrush (one of the few Arizona Warblers I've not photographed).

No luck with the warbler, but as usual did come away with some nice photos:

Black Necked Stilt, American Avocet, and Western Sandpiper

Belted Kingfisher

Belted Kingfisher

Black Crowned Night Heron, Juvenile

Black Necked Stilt

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

Wilson's Phalarope

Yellow Headed Blackbird

Lake Cochise

In addition to the four Herons seen at Lake Cochise (and shared in the last two posts) here are a few other finds:

American Avocet

Black Necked Stilt

Loggerhead Shrike with catch

Western Meadowlark

White Faced Ibis

Yellow Headed Blackbird

Black Necked Stilt - II

I have one other "5" Star Black Necked Stilt photo to show. I like this one for a couple of reasons. First, the stark differences in color: black, white, and pink. Second, it was one of my first photo trips specifically looking for birds (early 1990's) and I was pleasantly surprised by my being able to get so close (without the benefit of a good telephoto lens).  It was taken at Frenchman's Hill in Central Washington.

Black Necked Stilt

Black Necked Stilt

We come now to the Black Necked Stilt which I think is a beautiful bird. They always appear as if they are going to a "black-tie" dinner dressed in a tuxedo. The BNS is found throughout the Americas near both fresh and salt water habitats. Although a lowland bird in North American it can be found in much higher elevations in South America. Birds found in the colder climates migrate to warmer areas for the winter. What I like about this photo, and why I gave it a "5" Star rating is its simplicity: a lone bird standing in still blue water with its mirror image.

Black Necked Stilt

Lake Cochise

I headed out to the Chiricahua Mountains again with a quick stop at Lake Cochise just to see what was going on there. There were the usual suspects, but also Least Sandpipers and Tropical Kingbirds that were a pleasant surprise. The Tropical Kingbird is rare to the US, and only in Southern Arizona. 

Black Necked Stilt

Killdeer

Least Sandpiper

Low Billed Curlew

Tropical Kingbird

Wilson's Phalarope

Birders vs Wildlife Photographer

I am not a "Birder" in the true sense of the word. Yes, I know something about birds. And, yes, I have photographed a great many birds. But I don't keep a list of every bird I have seen and I don't go out in the field with binoculars. I go out with my camera. I figure if I need binoculars to see a bird, then I am not close enough for a good "sellable" photo.  Since I am almost completely deaf I cannot identify birds by their sound. (Can't even find birds by their sound). I have to rely on sight, both to find and identify. When I first started out, all sparrows were lumped into a category call "LBBs" (little brown birds). While I am still not great at identifying all the sparrows, there are a few I can: black throated, chipping, lark, white crowned, and house. The others I need a photograph and even then I have difficulty. 

Waterbirds are a little easier. This is probably because they aren't hiding in trees and flittering around everywhere. (Although many of the sandpipers are as challenging to identify as the sparrows). Waterbirds are typically in wide open space, i.e. a pond, a lake, the ocean, etc. Of course getting close to them can be a problem especially if they are out in the middle of the lake. If you also happen to be in the middle of the lake, then, well, you get something like this:

Common Loon

While Southern Arizona doesn't have quite the water of Washington State or British Columbia, there are a few reliable places. Lake Cochise for example provides a wonderful opportunity for "water" birding. Here are a few photos for a trip I made last week:

American Avocet

Black Necked Stilts

White Faced and Glossy Ibis

Killdeer

Long Billed Curlew

Marbled Godwit (with Black Necked Stilts and American Avocets)

Wilsons Phalarope

That's a nice variety of waterbirds for a 15 minute drive around the "auto loop". 

National Wildlife Refuges

Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, Washington, 1944

Columbia Refuge, established by Congress in 1944,  is a scenic mixture of rugged cliffs, canyons, lakes, and sagebrush grasslands. Formed by fire, ice, floods, and volcanic tempest, carved by periods of extreme violence of natural forces, the refuge lies in the middle of the Drumheller Channeled Scablands of central Washington -- locally referred to as "The Potholes."  The area reveals a rich geologic history highlighted by periods of dramatic activity, each playing a major role in shaping the land. The northern half of the refuge, south of Potholes Reservoir, is a rugged jumble of cliffs, canyons, lakes, and remnants of lava flows. This part of the Scablands, known as the Drumheller Channels, is the most spectacularly eroded area of its size in the world and was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1986.

The favorable mixture of lakes and surrounding irrigated croplands, combined with generally mild winters and protection provided by the refuge, attracts large numbers of migrating and wintering mallard ducks, Canada geese, and other waterfowl, including tundra swans.

Black Necked Stilts

Great Egret

Horned Lark

Killdeer

Lesser Scaup

Redhead Duck

Ring Necked Duck

Canada Geese and Sandhill Cranes

Sandhill Cranes

White Pelicans

White Pelicans

Other Reflections

Sometimes reflections are easy -- right in front of you -- bird in still water. Sometimes the reflection isn't as obvious as in the first photo of the American Avocets. Here is wasn't until I got home and had a chance to really look at my photos of the day that I realized it was special -- almost an abstract painting. Sometimes, as in the last to photos of the ducks, the color gives you a wonderful surprise, something more than just a reflection.

American Avocet at Whitewater Draw, Arizona

Black Necked Stilt at Sweetwater Wetlands, Arizona

Killdeer at Blue Lake, Washington

Long Billed Dowitcher at Lake Cochise, Arizona

Northern Shoveler at Mercer Slough, Washington

American Wigeon at Davis Lake, Oregon

Sweetwater Wetlands Revisted

A nice day today at Sweetwater Wetlands. I'll start with the Black Necked Stilts found in one of the reclamation ponds:

Black Necked Stilt with a Killdeer

After a few photos, the three Black Necked Stilts took off and started circling around me. Here are some of those photos: