Salton Sea Shorebirds~

On By cindy knokeIn Birds, Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, TRAVEL REVIEWS

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Snowy Egret hunting for dinner,

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plunges his beak,
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and pulls out a fish!
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Night Herons, White Faced Ibis, Snowy Egrets and Great White Herons, block my path!

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424 different bird species have been identified at The Salton Sea, including this handsome Snowy Egret with striped stocking legs.
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The placid Black Bellied Plover eats bugs in the sand,
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while White Pelicans lumber off as I near.
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They soon skid back,
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flashing irked looks my way!
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Great Blue Herons watch as if saying, “I’m a very big bird, you better be careful, if you come my way!”
Cheers to you from the wintering shorebirds at The Salton Sea~

258 thoughts on “Salton Sea Shorebirds~”

  2. Those birds seem so comfortable with you, may be irked but not upset enough to squawk at you or fly into you.
    Wishing you clear skies ahead and warm regards for your new year! 🙂

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  3. Okay, missy, I’m naming you the Bird Queen. You get the best shots of birds. Actually it’s true of everything you take photos of, but since I love birds, I picked you to be their queen photographer!!! Love and hugs, N 🙂 <3

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    1. Thank you! Sobering and so concerning. We have finally had some back to back rain storms in SoCal, we are still in drought, but at least it provides relief. It is a grave situation and we still need more rain.

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  13. Aren’t they gorgeous? Funny thing is, just days ago I drove along I-5 and spotted some egrets flying (so beautiful!) and I thought to myself, “I wonder when Cindy will post something focusing on egrets!” and here it is! Looks like you heard me! 😀

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  32. These are remarkable captures, Cindy! I love the two bird in flight shots, the splashes are so cool! I know how difficult to capture. 🙂

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    1. Pelicans as so big, they make big, plonking splashes! When they take off, they look like they are too heavy to get airborne, which is probably why they get so annoyed when I walk up to them. I can almost hear their discussion, “Oh God, here she comes again. I guess we’re going to have to try and take off again……”

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  42. What is our fascination with birds? Is it their shier grace and beauty? Perhaps it’s that they have conquered one of the main problems that we are still struggling with – transportation and they have done it so elegantly.
    Leslie

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    1. Yes! I agree. Plus they can escape us whenever they choose by flying away. I think we all have wished we could fly away from certain people and situations!! Laughing……

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  43. I’m in awe of your shot of the egret striking with his beak. Whenever I patiently wait for a heron to go after the fish — I get so excited when (s)he does that I forget to take the shot. I agree with you that herons have a patent on “the” look. Happy New Year.

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    1. I think it is a pain for them to lumber into take off, kinda like B-52’s, and they aren’t pleased with me for provoking this!!! Laughing, thank you & cheers to you my friend~

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  51. I spent the day on the water photographing birds – many of the same species! – at Rio Lagartos Biosphere Reserve on the Gulf of Mexico. Such fun eh! Yesterday I took the best photo of a peli that I’ve ever taken. It will show up on the blog, but I’ll put it up on FB tonight. Are we friends on FB? We should be if you’re on FB.
    Alison xo

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    1. Let’s be friends on FB. I never go there but I will now to see if we are, and if not, I will request you. Can’t wait to see the peli! I got some good ones a few years ago in St. Croix where they were doing these vertical dives and coming up with fish! Amazing birds!

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    1. We had a Blue Heron on our doorstep who stayed until I called wild animal rescue. He seemed tame, but he was very BIG! I opened the door once and there he was in my face! 🦆

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  62. Best to you and yours for the coming New Year!
    I had a Coopers Hawk visiting my bird feeder the other day.
    Once I get ‘im on the computer I’ll try to send you a copy 🙂

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  67. You will probably like it here. Near our place is a bird sanctuary called Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary. Birds all the way from Russia, China, Canada, and other northern countries fly there to roost, feed, and mate there. During autumn months, the sanctuary is teeming with birds. 🙂

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  70. The birds are so spectacular! Alfred Hitchcock’s Birds were not so pretty!
    Lol! Living in Toronto, the only things that block my path are cars and beggars.
    The Salton Sea sure is a sweet body of water.
    Happy New Year, Cindy! 2017 will be fab! :star:

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  72. Stunning photos as usual! One can almost feel the sunlight you have captured. My favorite is the white pelican with such details of the feathers. We have them that winter here but I have not even attempted to photograph them. They are really beautiful and you caught one in flight. See you next year!

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  86. Bonjour CINDY
    C’est mon ami
    L’ordinateur qui vas de cœur en cœur
    Grace aux petits mots d’amitié
    Qu’ils lui sont confiés

    Il est venu me demander
    Si je n’avais pas un cœur à honorer
    Je lui ai remis ce petit message
    Qu’il vienne le déposer sur ta page
    Même si tu habites dans le lointain

    Je sais qu’il en trouvera le chemin

    Bonne Année 2017

    Passe une très belle journée ou soirée avec ta famille à table , en ballade ou autre

    Si tu as quelques petits rayons de soleil dans la semaine profite de ceux-ci

    http://img15.hostingpics.net/pics/595695bonnejourne.gif

    ​

    Gros bisous Bernard

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  87. Beautiful beautiful Cindy– looks like you found a sunny warm day down there– it’s been pretty rainy up in north Orange County here. My favorites are the pelicans! thanks

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      1. your photos are so sharp and pleasing! What camera settings do you use if you don’t mind my asking? I need a new camera, my little Sony works pretty well but I need more accuracy for close-up work.

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  91. Comment above is so true. I never thought of it like that, but those white birds…. how do they stay white? I love how the pelican looked back at you. 🙂 I wish you a peaceful 2017 and beyond, Cindy!

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    1. Yes the very bright white is so beautiful. Snowy egrets, snow geese, snowy owl, all have this brilliant white. Very Happy New Year to you Maiko. It has been a joy sharing 2017 with you!

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  92. Trying to scroll through a few more posts while I have a minute. 🙂 Loooove these! ❤️My favorite has to be the Black-bellied Plover though. The composition with the perfect reflection is stunning!

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  94. Wow Cindy, I am stunned at the vast array of birds you were able to photograph all in one place. The photo you took on the road is surreal and just plain awesome. Do you know if this is a wintering place for them all now or are all these birds around all year? We used to get the white Pelicans at the lake I lived at here. I do love watching them fly right beside the boat in a great long line. Happy New Year! xo K

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  95. What lovely photos, Cindy, how lucky to have so many birds close to where you live. Lucky you! We once had an egret stop and visit when heavy rain left a bit of a lake but not much more. In North Cyprus the practice is to kill songbirds in their tens of thousands to eat, would you believe.
    An old practice when times were hard but not now, hard to get people to leave old, outmoded habits behind.

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    1. I know they used to do that in the UK back in the day as a luxury, eat songbirds. Egrets and herons do this dropping by confused bit a lot. When they show up far from their territory, literally sometimes on your doorstep, they tend to stay, kinda like, “Okay. I’m here now!”
      Laughing. I had one come up to me at the beach when I was a kid and I took it home in my basket.
      I told my mom, “I have a bird in my basket.”
      She said, “Stop making up stories.’
      I moved the bird into my playhouse where it lived for quite awhile, until my mother went into the playhouse saw the bird, and got mad at me for keeping a bird without telling her.
      This still irks me when I think of it. The injustice!! …..Laughing!

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  97. Herons are so fascinating to see when they search for fishes. I’m lucky. I live near the sea and in summertime I can watch grey herons from my house in early mornings and evenings.

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      1. Yes they are. They move so smooth and without a sound and all of a sudden they catch the fish. I like when they stand totally still also. They look like they thinking of something or just enjoy the atmosphere.

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        1. One day I opened my front door and there was a Great Blue Heron. At first I caught sight of it through the window and my immediate thought was, “There’s a dinosaur at the door!”
          He was so big up close! He stayed for a few days eating lizards until I got worried about him and had animal rescue pick him up.

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  98. BookOfBokeh

    So what did I do wrong or what did you do right? I never saw one living thing at the Salton Sea. Ok, that drunk dude rolling out of his trailer, but other than that…

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    1. I am so sad you went without talking to me. Whole shores of the sea are polluted, post apocalyptic wastelands, full of pesticide run-off and dead fish and abandoned towns and interesting people. Interesting to see but not what you were looking for. The south end of the sea in Imperial County and the east side near the Colorado river are like an entirely different planet. The Sony Bono National Nature Reserves Unit 1 & 2, Obsidian Butte, Bowles Road and the south sea wall are teeming with tens of thousands of migratory birds, many endangered. Over 400 species of birds have been identified here. I will post a photo of a burrowing owl I saw recently at the sea near their nest. There are large variety of mammals, and indigenous reptiles. The Pichaco State Recreation Area is full of life. It is one of the most bird rich areas I have ever seen. Makes me sad you didn’t see it. I would have loved to see your photos.
      Google where to find birds at The Salton Sea or google Henry Detwiler’s, “Finding Birds in The Salton Sea,” and you will see all the different areas.

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  101. I imagine you will have several secretaries to help you with blog success and respond to your fans. The photos are extraordinary and the majesty of the birds reflects them with the gift that you have to capture its beauty.

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