Cherishing Our Migration Visitors at Rios

Observing many species of birds visiting our beautiful lagoon year after year never gets old... But when I get to see a life bird....a bird that I have never seen before...well, that is a very special moment.... As I walk on the trails and count my blessing that we are so lucky to have such large variety of birds that visit our area.... Elation of spotting a life bird can change quickly to sadness. Spotting a dead bird on the trail with no apparent injury.. my mood becomes somber...it leaves me with the question..why? Especially when the bird looks normal in appearance with no obvious exterior injury ... I notify the park rangers of the location and species....But this discovery is unsettling and it stays in the back of my mind...that may be the reason why, while reading the news on the web today, a article written by Professor Peter C Doherty titled  Why we should watch the birds  caught my attention. Now I know one of the reasons why I have been drawn to bird watching , observing and documenting their activity with my camera.. I have been subconsciously monitoring my health....our health...our well being.... Birds really can tell us a lot about the health of our environment..
 

Walking past the pumphouse on Rios Pole trail I was treated to several Red-necked Phalarope swimming in the pond right next to the trail. (A "life bird" for me).

These small migrating birds breed on the tundra ponds. Spotting these delicate shorebirds visiting our Nature Reserve has been very exciting and even better if I can get a close up shot of these beautiful "swimming" birds...

 

 

 

Red-necked Phalarope...Phalaropus lobatus... measures 7.25 inches long and have a wing span of 15 inches...The females of this species are larger than the males...also more brightly colored when in breeding plumage...These birds have lobed toes.. which comes in handy for stirring the water as they swim nervously in tight circles and zigzag.. creating a upwelling that brings the minute prey to the surface.

 

 

 

I see them use their lobed toes for plowing the muddy bottom of the shallower part of the pond.. ..half swimming.. half shuffling ..stirring up the critters at the bottom...  

 

 

 

 

They are all in non-breeding plumage...

 

 

 

In this photo it is easy to see the Red-necked Phalarope is pushing the water and making a disturbance as it picks and jabs at it's prey.. but I have seen several of these birds actually stick their head underwater to retrieve a tasty morsel...

 

 

 

Swimming in circles and zigzag pattern.. they create a upwelling that brings tiny creatures up from the bottom and pick them off in a flicking motion. When they pick at the minute critters.. it is done so quickly that most of the time.. only my camera was able to catch the action...

 

 

 

This is what I have been waiting to see.. these birds are so quick at jabbing and snagging their small prey.. I have not seen what they look like..I finally get to see the tiny critter...think it's a tiny little shrimp.. this is a large prey for this bird.. most of what he gets is so tiny..they are almost invisible to us humans standing a dozen feet away...

 

 

 

Getting a good look at the shape of his beak as he swallows the shrimp... very needlelike is the description in the Sibley's Guide to Birds... and notice that he is all wet..that is because he has just stuck his head under water to snag that tasty little shrimp...

 

  

 

Time for me to go home... maybe I will get some good flight shots if they stay a while at our beautiful San Elijo Nature Reserve.....

 

 

 

 

Have a peaceful Monday everyone......