At the Quivira refuge, the Avocets were busy wading and feeding close to the shoreline. I could not resist capturing more images of these graceful birds. In the image below, I liked how the bird was reflected in the water.
American Avocet Reflection, Quivira Refuge.
Here is another image of a pair of Avocets foraging close to the edge of the shore.
American Avocet Pair No 2, Quivira Refuge.
The closest bird moved ahead of the rear bird, dipping its bill into the water. I like the almost perfect reflection of this Avocet’s head in the water.
American Avocet Pair Reflection, Quivira Refuge.
There were several other birds that flew by during our visit to Quivira, including some Terns. I managed to capture this image of a Forster’s Tern as it banked in-flight.
Forster’s Tern In Flight, Quivira Refuge.
We were lucky to see an American Bittern that had landed in the marshes across the road from the pond. These birds can be very elusive, as they maintain a stationary position among the reeds of a marsh.
American Bittern, Quivira Refuge.
After a break for lunch, we headed out of Quivira passing through the town of Ellinwood. We found a small flock of several Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks in a park close to town center.
Black-Bellied Whistling Duck, Ellinwood.
That evening, after dinner, we headed back to Cheyenne Bottoms to view the sunset across the ponds. All the while, the marshes were full of birds making a cacophony of sounds before they set out for another round of migration.
Sunset, Cheyenne Bottoms.
The following morning, we continued our birding adventure by visiting Cheyenne Bottoms just after sunrise. In the marshes beside the road, we found several Short-Billed Dowitchers foraging in the water. These birds have exceptionally long bills, compared to their head size! When feeding, they dip their bills into the mud to feed on bugs, with an action that looks like sewing machines!
Later that same morning, we drove through some of the surrounding grassland area of the refuge. Here we found an Upland Plover that was perched on a fence post.
Upland Plover On Fence Post, Cheyenne Bottoms.
Soon after, we started to head back home, making frequent stops for breaks and lunch along the way. This was a most enjoyable birding tour, also seeing some new species of bird life.
During the first weekend in May, we visited two of the wetland wildlife refuges in Kansas. We registered for a birding tour that was based in Great Bend. This tour included travel to Great Bend by mini-bus. May is the month when many bird species are in the Spring migration to the northern hemisphere. Most of the birds that we would be seeing, would be shorebirds.
On arrival, we stopped at the Cheyenne Bottoms refuge, where we became familiar with the area and what we could expect to see over the weekend. Later, we checked into the hotel and headed to dinner.
The following morning, at sunrise, we made our way to the Quivira refuge that is located a few miles south of Great Bend. Here, we spent a couple of hours, where we saw many of the shorebirds up close. Many of these birds probably arrived at the refuge during the previous night.
There were several different bird species at this stop. I made an image of a Black-Necked Stilt that was wading through the water close to the shore.
Black-Necked Stilt, Quivira Refuge.
Several Stilts were located in this pond. Occasionally, they moved to different locations around the pond as they were feeding. In the following image, we see a Stilt in-flight to another location.
Black-Necked Stilt In Flight, Quivira Refuge.
The American Avocet is another species that we found in the same pond. In the image above, several Avocets that are out of focus, can be seen in the background. I managed to capture one of these spectacular birds in-flight.
American Avocet In Flight, Quivira Refuge.
This Avocet was joining a fellow traveler that was feeding close to the shore.
American Avocet Pair No 1, Quivira Refuge.
Another species that we found was the Wilson’s Phalarope. These little shorebirds spend much of their time swimming in the ponds, close to the shore, rather that wading in shallower water at the edges of the pond.
Wilson’s Phalarope No 1, Quivira Refuge.
These Phalaropes typically swim in circles in the water. This spinning motion causes bugs and other food to be brought to the surface where they are consumed by the birds. In the image below, the closest Phalarope is in the middle of this “spinning” motion.
Wilson’s Phalaropes Swimming, Quivira Refuge.
This bird then approached the shore, where I managed to capture another image where the bird is larger in frame.
Wilson’s Phalarope No 2, Quivira Refuge.
During the course of the weekend we saw many hundreds of Wilson’s Phalaropes in many of the ponds that we visited. It was quite fun the see larger flocks of birds, that were in constant spinning motions in the various ponds and wetlands that we visited.
During the month, we made several trips to various locations in the metro area. April is a month when many of the winter birds migrate north to their summer breeding grounds. Also, a bunch of summer visitors start to trickle in from further south. When visiting the Central Park area, we found this Cormorant perched on a log in the Sand Creek.
Cormorant Perched In Sand Creek.
Another visit was made to the South Platte River, where some Gadwall were feeding. This image was made in the late afternoon, just before the sun dropped behind the foothills of the Front Range.
Gadwall On The South Platte River.
During a visit to Cherry Creek State Park, I found a group of Pelicans at the edge of the reservoir.
Pelicans At Cherry Creek Reservoir.
During the course of the visit, several Pelicans left the reservoir whilst other birds flew in. This Pelican flew close enough that I managed to capture a great image with its outspread wings. During the breeding season, these birds develop a “keel” on their long bills.
Pelican In Flight Over Cherry Creek Reservoir.
During our visit to the Sand Creek, we noticed several swallows that had returned during the summer migration. We were lucky enough to find this Rough-Winged Swallow perched on a tree at creek side.
Rough-Winged Swallow, Sand Creek Trail.
During a visit to Cherry Creek State Park, several male Red-Winged Blackbirds were heard calling out, while attempting to attract some female birds.
Red-Winged Blackbird Calling, Cherry Creek State Park.
This month was certainly a mixed bag of different birds as migration was in full swing!
On the morning of our second full day, we headed to the south end of the wildlife refuge. Here flocks of Sandhill Cranes had settled reasonably close to the parking area. We decided to explore some of the other birds that were in this area. Close to the parking lot, was a group of House Sparrows that periodically flocked to the feeding area. Soon they returned to the bushes close to the parking lot.
House Sparrow, Monte Vista, No 1.
These sparrows periodically flew out to feed and returned to the bushes or to the fencing.
House Sparrow, Monte Vista, No 2.
In one of the trees above the parking lot, a Red-Tailed Hawk was perched. There was an occupied nest in an nearby tree that it was guarding.
Red-Tailed Hawk, Close To Nest, Monte Vista.
There was another area where we had seen Red-Tailed Hawks and Great-Horned Owls earlier. As we made our way there, we encountered a flock of female Red-Winged Blackbirds perched in the bushes at the roadside. Typically, the female birds meeting males at the breeding grounds. These Blackbirds often create nests among the cat tails and marshes. We had seen the male Red-Winged Blackbirds near the marshes. The males have a very distinctive call as they a waiting to meet a mate.
Pair Of Female Red-Winged Blackbirds.
In image below, I was intrigued by the how the female had splayed her legs out to perch on the sage brush.
Female Red-Winged Blackbird. Perched, Monte Vista.
Later in the afternoon, I was capturing some incoming Sandhill Cranes in the same parking lot as in the morning. I don’t often get an image of a bird approaching me head on! This one even had some chunks missing from its wing feathers.
Sandhill Crane Flying Towards Me.
Later, I was tracking a single Sandhill Crane that was vocally announcing its arrival at the feed grounds.
Chatty Sandhill Crane Announcing Arrival, No 1.
This crane approached from the mountains to the west and looped around in front of me, chattering in flight.
Chatty Sandhill Crane, No 2.
I made several images as this bird continued in a wide loop, chattering in flight, before settling down towards the other birds in the flock.
Chatty Sandhill Crane, No 3.
That concludes images from our trip to Monte Vista.
Of course, we came to Monte Vista to see the Sandhill Cranes. Monte Vista hosts a Sandhill Crane Festival every year in early March. We chose to visit, avoiding the crowds that visit the festival later in the week. On the day that we arrived, and on the next full day, it was very windy and gusty. Unfortunately, the cranes had hunkered down, often a long way from roads.
However, on our second full day, the weather was great, with no wind. The cranes were more dispersed and often feeding in grasslands closer to roads and designated parking areas. During the late afternoon, several groups of Sandhill Cranes left dispersed areas to join larger flocks that were located in feeding areas. I made this image of a family group as they left our viewing location.
Sandhill Crane Family Group, Leaving.
During the course of the next hour, several groups gradually followed.
Sandhill Crane Group In-Flight, Monte Vista.
In this image, I captured a single crane as it was leaving to join the flock.
Single Sandhill Crane Leaving To Join Rest Of Flock.
This pair of Sandhill cranes were flying low over the grassland as they took flight to join the larger flock.
Sandhill Crane Pair Taking Flight, Monte Vista.
And here is another group leaving.
Sandhill Cranes – Another Group Leaving.
Often the cranes fly in a close formation. However, in this image, I managed to capture a long line of cranes in flight; a panorama. I included the distant snow-covered mountains as a background.
After working with the geese, we continued along the the road beside the same ice covered lake, where we observed birds in the marshes. As we walked along the road, a Marsh Wren called out from the cat tails.
Marsh Wren On Cat Tails, Monte Vista.
This tiny bird was really close. This allowed me to make a large image of this little wren in the frame.
Marsh Wren On Cat Tails, Monte Vista, No 2.
I had the opportunity of making several images as the wren flew and perched to several cat tails that were located along the edge of the frozen lake.
Marsh Wren On Cat Tails, Monte Vista, No 3.
Another bird that we find at the marshes is the American Coot. In this image, the coot is walking on the ice close to the cat tails at the the edge of the march.
American Coot, On Ice, No. 1.
These coots are really distinctive. They have these huge green legs and feet that make it easy to walk through reeds, grasses and cat tails that forms the marsh.
American Coot, Swimming, Monte Vista.
It is fun to watch the coots in the lakes during this time of the year. The coots typically pair up and are looking for mates. They can be seen chasing one another around the lake. This behavior is really prevalent when these birds are on open water. Later in the day, the ice often melts as the sun rises, warming the mountain air. I have made several images of the coots exhibiting this behavior later in the day during previous years.
One of the lakes in the Wildlife Refuge, usually freezes over during the cold nights of early March. In previous years, we have always found Sandhill Cranes and Canada Geese in this lake, where they spend the night safe from predators. This year, we found the geese but no cranes. Perhaps the cranes found a better location following the gusty winds on the previous day. I decided to attempt captures of Canada Geese in flight during the early morning. In the image below, a pair of geese had just taken off. I like the way the geese are reflected from the ice as the fly above the ice.
Pair Of Canada Geese, Taking Off.
In the following image, I captured a single goose taking off. Again, I like the reflection of the goose in the ice and also the two legs, hanging down, almost touching the ice!
Canada Goose, Take Off From Ice.
Over the next hour or so, groups of Canada Geese left the frozen lake to head towards feeding areas in the wildlife refuge.
Canada Geese Family, In Flight Over Marshes.
Sometimes I am lucky in capturing a goose that spread its wings. In this image, the rising sun lit up one side of the goose as the wings were spread out.
Canada Goose Spreading Wings, Monte Vista.
When several geese take of in a group, it is difficult to have all members of the group in focus. I had locked focus tracking on one goose as the whole group took flight so that I had one bird in focus while the others were out of focus.
Canada Goose, Part of the Group, Monte-Vista.
In this final image, a group of six geese were all lined up adjacent to one another. This allowed me the have all of the birds in the group to be in sharp focus. I also like the background where we can see some of the snow on the mountains. Definitely an image from the mountains of Colorado!
Early this month we spent a few days at Monte Vista, to view the Sandhill Cranes and other birds that migrate to the summer breeding grounds further north. We took the opportunity to visit before the start of the annual Sandhill Crane Festival.
When we arrived at Monte Vista in the late afternoon, it was very windy. Gusty wind continued for our first full day in Monte Vista. Early that morning, we found one lake where some Cinnamon Teal ducks sheltered from the windy conditions, protected by cat tails.
Cinnamon Teal Group, No 1.
The following image should the colorful male ducks with their cinnamon plumage and those red eyes!
Cinnamon Teal Group, No 2.
On our second full day at Monte Vista, the weather was quiet and with no wind. This time we found several more Cinnamon Teal ducks in the same lake.
Cinnamon Teal Group, Monte Vista.
A mating pair were swimming along the edge of the cat tails.
Cinnamon Teal Pair, Monte Vista.
In the following image, the female Cinnamon Teal decided to exercise her wings!
Cinnamon Teal Female, Ready For Flight.
During the course of the morning, we found a male Buffelhead Duck that made several visits to various parts of the lake — probably looking for other Buffelheads! I managed to capture an image of the male duck as it was in flight.
