American Avocets and Dunlins

Continuing my bird sightings along the wildlife drive at Bombay Hook NWR end of last year, I drove up on two large migrating flocks of shorebirds. Both lifers!

(photos taken from my car)

Flock of American Avocets in front of the Dunlins (eight Northern Shovelers in the foreground)

I have seen American Avocets before but never got a chance to photograph them.

Gulls (foreground) napping with American Avocets

American Avocets have long, upturned bills that they sweep through the shallow water to catch small invertebrates. They also have blue legs. Love those blue legs.

American Avocets are in the same family as Stilts.

Not sure why, but the Avocets took flight. I didn’t see anything menacing in the sky. Even the Dunlins had stayed put.

American Avocets in flight

(photo-bombed by a gull….)

(Looks like they’re on a mission….)

The American Avocet’s wingspan is an impressive 28″ (71 cm).

This next photo was taken along a canal at the refuge where I was standing and photographing another bird. I was very happy to have gotten this opportunity and capture as they quickly flew by!

While photographing the Avocets, I was also working on the Dunlins.

The Dunlin is a medium-sized sandpiper. There were thousands of them resting and foraging in the shallow waters.

Luckily, a few Dunlins were foraging at the water’s edge early-on for me to get some close-ups.

(Size comparison of the American Avocet to the Dunlin)

I moved on but looped the wildlife drive again. The Avocets were still gone but the Dunlins were there. Just watching and enjoying the scenery and telling myself I needed to get to my errands(!), the Dunlins quickly took flight and I snapped a few shots. Again, I didn’t see anything menacing in the sky.

Dunlins in flight

Dunlins have a wingspan of 13-14″ (32-36 cm).

Both of these birds are gorgeous in breeding plumage (American Avocets breed in the U.S. mid-west; Dunlins breed along the northern coastlines of Alaska and Canada) which I would love to see and photograph; but for now adding them to my lifer list, I’ll take their winter-look here during their visit!

Tags: American Avocet, avocet, birding, Birds, Bombay Hook, Delaware, Dunlin, flight, flock, nature, NWR, photo, photographs, photography, photos, wildlife

40 thoughts on “American Avocets and Dunlins”

neihtn2012 on 01/03/2018 at 11:01 AM said:

So many American Avocets. Beautiful shots, Donna, and thank you for them! So far I have only seen one at a time.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/03/2018 at 5:37 PM said:
  
  Thanks Hien! I feel privileged now to see so many! I am so glad I took this side trip from errands that day. 🙂
  
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niasunset on 01/03/2018 at 11:17 AM said:

so beautiful dear Donna, Thank you, Love, nia

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/03/2018 at 5:37 PM said:
  
  Thank you Nia!
  
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Martha Johnston on 01/03/2018 at 11:40 AM said:

Magnificent!

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/03/2018 at 5:37 PM said:
  
  Thanks Martha!
  
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Tiny on 01/03/2018 at 12:04 PM said:

What a beautiful picturing of both birds, Donna. I hope the approaching winter storm will treat them well…so that they may find food. Best wishes for a wonderful 2018!

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/03/2018 at 5:50 PM said:
  
  Thanks Helen, me too, got all the birds weighing on my mind. Let’s hope it melts quickly as far north as possible. Best wishes to you for a wonderful 2018 as well!
  
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1nmbirder on 01/03/2018 at 12:47 PM said:

Wonderful captures! I have seen the avocets and dunlins in breeding plumage and thery are stunning! Looks like a great break from your day.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/03/2018 at 5:51 PM said:
  
  Thanks Kelly! Always a good break sneaking in a little birding…. 🙂
  
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avian101 on 01/03/2018 at 1:45 PM said:

Great captures Donna! Congratulations on the “lifers”! 🙂

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/03/2018 at 5:52 PM said:
  
  Thanks HJ!! 🙂
  
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Susan Hale on 01/03/2018 at 1:59 PM said:

Great photos Donna! It makes me want to jump in the car and head to Bombay Hook. Are you going to any of the events in the Delmarva Birding Weekend the last weekend in January?

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/03/2018 at 5:54 PM said:
  
  Thanks Susan! I love Bombay, it’s best to be there in the morning for the two Pools so sun is at your back. My problem, I could never get there early, lol. On the DBW events, no, I’ll be in SC then.
  
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Lisa Rest on 01/03/2018 at 2:44 PM said:

Beautiful photos, thanks so much! What incredible flocks. I like to see shorebirds in great numbers. Happy New Year!

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/03/2018 at 5:56 PM said:
  
  Thanks Lisa! I’m with you, love seeing them too. Happy New Year to you too! Keep warm!
  
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Ellen Jennings on 01/03/2018 at 4:04 PM said:

Always fun to see large flocks like this and it would be nice to know what makes them fly off in a group when it isn’t obvious. The Dunlin is a new bird to me-nice to see.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/03/2018 at 6:14 PM said:
  
  Thanks Ellen! There are several Eagles and Northern Harriers in this area. It was about 3 pm, so I wondered if both birds were maybe just moving on for their evening destination.
  
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  - Ellen Jennings on 01/03/2018 at 9:51 PM said:
    
    Could be. Sometimes it’s as if there is a secret signal…”time to tuck in!”
tootlepedal on 01/03/2018 at 5:12 PM said:

That is a whole lot of birds. Best wishes for 2018.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/03/2018 at 6:16 PM said:
  
  Thanks Tom. Same to you and the Mrs.
  
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circadianreflections on 01/03/2018 at 7:19 PM said:

Not one but two lifers in a one sighting! How thrilling. Avocets are so beautiful. They’re quick to take flight. I haven’t got any in flight. You did an amazing job of photographing them in flight.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/04/2018 at 8:15 AM said:
  
  Thanks Deborah! Couldn’t believe I got two for a quick side trip from errands. 🙂
  
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tanjabrittonwriter on 01/03/2018 at 9:42 PM said:

I would forget my errands, too, Donna, with such distractions. I have trouble with shorebirds, but Avocets I recognize, and love. You captured their dorsal wing pattern during their flight beatifully. Thank you for taking us back to Bombay Hook NWR.
Best,
Tanja

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/04/2018 at 8:19 AM said:
  
  Thank you, Tanja, I almost didn’t get all the errands done, lol. Being mid-West, I’m guessing you get to see Avocets in breeding plumage where they are gorgeous in coloring. Lucky you!
  
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sunnydaysinseattle on 01/03/2018 at 10:35 PM said:

Nice!

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/04/2018 at 8:20 AM said:
  
  Thank you!
  
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thelocals2016 on 01/03/2018 at 11:02 PM said:

Our stilts are black and white with pink legs.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/04/2018 at 8:20 AM said:
  
  In the U.S., we also have the Black-necked Stilt with pink/red legs.
  
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Cornell on 01/04/2018 at 4:37 AM said:

Beautiful birds. 🙂

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/04/2018 at 8:31 AM said:
  
  Thank you Cornell 🙂
  
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aussiebirder on 01/04/2018 at 6:25 AM said:

Love your flight shots Donna. Avocets always make a good flock shot. We have the Red-necked variety which normally share their territory with the Black-winged Stilt here. We do not get Dunlins here. Have a wonderful week!

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/04/2018 at 8:26 AM said:
  
  Thanks Ashley! Our other only stilt is the Black-necked Stilt. 🙂 Have a wonderful week as well!
  
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spugwash on 01/04/2018 at 9:47 AM said:

Always great to wander off and stumble on something new

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/04/2018 at 10:01 AM said:
  
  It is the best! 🙂
  
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Gunta on 01/06/2018 at 1:09 AM said:

That header shot of the heron is amazing! It also shows clearly why tootlepedal calls herons the grumpy clan. They never look very gruntled. (love that word – opposite of disgruntled!)

Marvelous shots of the two new lifers. I think I may have seen some dunlins (never a huge mob like yours) here on the coast, but I’m still learning to ID shore birds. They certainly are a challenge!

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/07/2018 at 5:09 PM said:
  
  Very gruntled, love it! 🙂 Yea, Great Blue Herons can give that, don’t bother me’ look, lol. The lifers was a plus for that day. (When isn’t a lifer a good day, ha!) I still have to look up some shore birds because the juveniles always throw me a loop. It is fun, though! 🙂
  
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blhphotoblog on 01/09/2018 at 10:50 AM said:

Lovely, makes my attempts at bird photography a bit feeble! Look forward to looking at your past posts. Brian.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/09/2018 at 6:18 PM said:
  
  Thanks but don’t say that! Believe me, sometimes just one shot of mine was good out of fifty, lol.
  
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  - blhphotoblog on 01/10/2018 at 4:32 AM said:
    
    I know the feeling, I take hundreds of butterfly shots to get a handful I.m proud of! With birds it’s getting close enough to catch the detail.