Tag: black necked stilts

Aren’t all babies cute?

On By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

I had been going to Roosevelt Wetlands every few days to see if there were any black necked stilt babies. There had been several couples nesting across the pond so even if babies had hatched it might be hard to see them. On the first day of June I got lucky. There was one family with three little ones feeding not far from the trail. They are so cute when they are that little (aren’t all babies cute?). Both parents stayed close by as the little ones were running around exploring.

A little blue heron wandered a little too close to the area and one of the stilt parents flew towards him and did a few dive bombs. At first the blue heron was not going to move but eventually he headed a little farther away.

There was a moorhen family also feeding in the area and a few times the moorhen Mom tried to run off the baby stilts.

Across the pond I could see another stilt couple that were on eggs. They were nesting on a little spit of dirt in the pond and sadly I had heard a few days later that after a few days of rain the nest got flooded and lost. They usually nest before the summer rains but this couple must have started late.

A Coast Guard plane flies close by.

Swallow tail kites were seen everywhere including this morning.

Growing up so fast, part 2.

On By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

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Most cars go flying down the road along the waste plant. I mean, why would a normal person slow down to see what’s hanging out in the ditches along the road. Even if you did slow down as you go past, you might not see that tiny speck of a baby bird on the edge of the water. The black necked stilts having been nesting here for several years. Usually some time in May you start to see the babies following the parents around if you know where to look. I pulled onto the grass and took the above from the car. They are very skittish and as soon as the car door would open, the parents would go crazy. So I just rolled down the window and snapped a few shots before leaving. Anyone going by probably just thinks I’m waiting for a tow truck to come.

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There were also baby anhingas in the bushes near the black necked stilts.

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A very young juvenile little blue heron in the same spot. He’ll soon turn all blue once he loses his baby white feathers.

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An older juvenile spoonbill. He doesn’t have any color in his face yet.

Just a few things I saw leaving work in late May.

Stilts in the ditch

On By dinajohnstonIn bird photography2 Comments

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The black necked stilts are back in the ditches close to work. They come here in the spring to nest and hang out for the summer.  These birds are very skittish and will fly away if I get out of the car. I just pulled over on the grass and took these from the car window.  I’m hoping I’ll get some baby pictures this summer.

More baby black necked stilts

On By dinajohnstonIn bird photography9 Comments

The first family I found back in mid-May was still in the pond by the front entrance to the waste plant. This was taken a few days later. The baby was just a little bit bigger. All of these pictures were taken from the car window. I didn’t want to get out and spook the stilts.

I found a 2nd family across the street. This baby is only a few days old. It was so tiny. These were taken with my 400mm and extremely cropped.

The tiny baby had a sibling that was hiding in the weeds.

The parent was doing the broken wing display even though I was sitting in the car. They fly away from the baby and act hurt to try to distract the predator away from the baby. I did not stay long here at all, only a few minutes.

Another adult was feeding at a different part of the ditch. There seems to be more stilts here this summer than in the past. Maybe, the ones being born here keep coming back.

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