Yellowlegs Salton Sea~

On By cindy knokeIn Birds, Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, Wild Life


Greater Yellowlegs migrate between South and North America.

They are striking birds,

who stride across deep lagoons,

with their distinctive,

high-stepping strut.

Long legs,

enable them to hunt in deeper lagoons,

capturing the fish and insects they survive on.

Cheers to you from the stunning Yellowlegs at The Salton Sea~

190 thoughts on “Yellowlegs Salton Sea~”

  3. Stunning images of the Yellowlegs! I must admit I have never heard of these birds before. I love how you were able to capture them with their mirror image in the reflection!

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  17. Sherry

    I’m a somewhat new follower and this is the second post I’ve seen from the Salton Sea. Your images capture a pristine and beautiful body of water. I grew up in the Imperial Valley and remember it being the complete opposite. I sure hope for the birds the quality has improved over the past 30 years. Love your photos, birds and adventures!

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    1. A huge bond issue recently passed, allocating significant funds to rescue the sea. I notice increased efforts already underway including increased flooding of nearby ponds where these photos were taken and increased diking. I plan to photo document the changes as they are made. It is amazing isn’t it, how this massive, polluted body of water can look so beautiful on the surface and support such an array of amazing life. I was following fresh tracks of bob-cat, mountain lion, coyotes and raccoon, and passing lots of recent kills. I might have been intimidated me were it not for all the amazing birds!

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  30. I wish I had gorgeous long legs like that! Of course, if they were yellow, it would restrict my wardrobe choices in regards to colour!
    Gorgeous shots of a beautiful bird, thank you, Cindy! ❦

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  33. You did well to capture them in flat reflective water (and of course the sky is always blue and clear in California!) What family do these birds belong to? Who are their nearest relatives? They seem like oversized versions of plovers which are so plentiful on east coast beaches.

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  38. Great series of photos. The beaks on these birds almost look out of proportion to their bodies, but I guess that enables them to dig deep into the seabed for tasty morsels to eat.

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  63. Dear Cindy,
    shurely every visiter can feel the kindness of the person that is blogging here. I sometimes wonder, how even shy animals seem to trust you, that you can come near and shoot these amazing photos. At the holler must be a spirit of freedom as well. Sometimes I think I can breathe the wind of there. Peace and happiness for you every day and thanks for sharing a part of your life! 💗

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    1. Meeting people like you is the reason I truly love blogging. Kind souls find, and resonate with each other here, and it is a most wonderful ongoing gift in my life. You words touched my heart and I thank you sincerely. Be well my friend <3

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      1. Dear Cindy,

        thank you so much for your nice words, I`m blessed by your amazing fine character and the love you give to the world by sharing the beautiful parts of your life. I hope, you are always protected and never run out of wonderful things to experiance and catch in pictures with your camera. Looking forward to see your next upcoming photos and the spirit behind the articles. 😍 Warm greetings always! 💗

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    1. It was not optimal sun because it was afternoon and I was often forced to shoot into the sun to get images of the bird. The sea is forgiving though because of all the reflective surfaces.

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  81. Interesting, I have been there several times throughout the years but the last time was in 2013, it does have its own beauty. I am going to reblog this for you Ms. Cindy.

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    1. It is impressive that you can see the beauty of the Salton Sea despite it’s so obvious ugliness. For me it is a sort of encapsulation of human perfidy. First we inadvertently create an artificial sea, then we take financial advantage of the mistake, and sell properties and Hollywood on the whole scheme, then we inadvertently massively pollute it with agricultural teratogens, so it sits like this disastrous chemical stew, harming every human who lives around it.
      And then, things change. Birds bring the change. Millions of them winter here from all over the western hemisphere. Birds don’t live so long, so they are a bit more impervious to human created horrible carcinogens.
      And whose tracks do I follow every time I am here now?
      Coyotes, cougars, raccoons, and foxes, hunting the birds. These mammalian predators also have short life spans, which gives them resilience to human created environmental horror.
      I have been regularly visiting here since I was a child.
      First it was a Hollywood promoted resort.
      Then it was a post apocalyptic human-killing wasteland.
      Then the birds took charge.
      The place is emblematic for me, about us.
      And the people, and the children who live there?
      The ones with out a lot of options?
      What do you think happens to them?

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  85. —Bonjour ou BONSOIR belle CINDY
    Le Bonheur
    C’est une goutte de pluie
    Comme une fleur sous la pluie
    Le bonheur c’est une chanson
    Que l’on fredonne de mille façon
    Le bonheur ” C’est tout simplement ” L’ Amitié ”
    Je te souhaite une journée ou soirée et de belles choses à venir
    ————-bisous–BERNARD

    https://i.postimg.cc/rsTcYjny/coucou.png

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