Avocets~

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

in flight over The Salton Sea in Southern California. (Click/tap to enlarge)

A pair in breeding plumage,

reflecting fragile,

flying beauty.

We continue to be deluged,

by blessed rain and snow,

with still more forecasted.

Salton Sea is cleaner and fuller than I have ever seen,

making the wintering birds happy.

They are ready now,

for the arduous flight north to breed.

Cheers to you from The Salton Sea~

247 thoughts on “Avocets~”

  4. The birds are very beautiful, Cindy. I have read about the political stuff regarding this accidental lake. The state seriously needs to finally go to work to try and save the Salton Sea. The lake is an important part of migratory birds. I was there just once some years ago.

    Reply

  5. Everything was so hot and dry or cold and restless. Now mother earth is compensating to give her fields and animals a fresh start and a rest before your Spring bloom. Lovely pictures Cindy, may she top up their numbers too 😀❤️🙏🏽

    Reply

  11. Gosh! These glorious creatures are quite unlike the – also glorious – birds we see in the UK which are strictly black and white. Only the beaks are the same. Wonderful shots.

    Reply

    1. I would love to see yours and I want to return to Scotland to see your puffins. One of the great joys of travel for me is meeting new birds from all over the world დ

      Reply

  16. Happy to join the chorus here in appreciation. Beautiful Cindy. Sort of twice seen thanks to the water reflections. Water means so much, doesn’t it. A naturalist I’m fond of said about the desert, the dominant feature was water, what shaped the landscape we see. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply

    1. 26% of former drought areas are said to be out of drought status. I take this with a grain of salt. It is raining /snowing now throughout the state with more on the horizon. I have never seen this much rain and snow. Resevoirs are being released as I type დ

      Reply

          1. I hope you’re right because your area needs it. I tend to believe you because the other source is, well, a government entity. And it just seems that the government lays out narratives with other agendas in mind. Have a great week. By the way, , snow here yesterday and more coming Tuesday. But that’s not unusual for western NY.

            Reply

    1. Yes, The SS is getting an influx of fresh water which is a big help. It still remains a ecological nightmare though which is a huge concern for the people who leave near it and for the wildlife that depend upon it, especially the migrating birds on The Pacific Flyway დ

      Reply

  32. Hope the rains and snow continue to do good for the winter birds – and all of you at The Holler, too.
    I worry about my California friends with feathers – and those without!

    Reply

  42. What a lovely bird! I never heard of them before. Great shots, Cindy!
    We are getting crazy California weather news up here. I hope the Salton Sea doesn’t overflow!!

    Reply

  50. Hi Cindy! My friends in the Sierras have been sharing photos of all the snow: it’s good to see that California’s getting some precipitation! The photos are also wonderful 😊

    Reply

      1. That’s (mostly) good! I’ve heard that snow replenishes ground water more effectively than rain, because it melts slowly, rather than arriving in a downpour and then causing landslides.

        Reply

        1. That makes sense. It percolates rather than floods. Although there is significant concern now about the snowpack being so excessive that it will cause flooding. They need to redirect it into the drying lakes and resevoirs.

          Reply

          1. Yes, right after I made the “no flooding” comment I began to see news headlines about flooding in California 😅 It’s a shame that you don’t seem to be able to catch a break! California’s probably my favorite state overall, despite the natural disasters.

            Reply

  54. The relief is palpable. There is so much wildlife dependent on The Sea. The shoreline is criss-crossed with a diverse variety of kill sites and animal tracks, including bobcat and mountain lion დ

    Reply

  70. I’ve never heard of these birds, but I find them oh-so-pretty! And how happy I am to hear you’re finally getting the precipitation you so desperately need, Cindy!

    Reply

    1. Thank you Debbie. We are definitely getting the precipitation. The mountains are getting hammered. The Sierra snowpack is astounding and storms are still flowing in. In So Cal we are just getting lots of glorious and so much needed rain დ

      Reply
  76. Curt Mekemson

    Beautiful birds, Cindy. I’ve always admired them. And water! Woohoo. Now it’s flooding, naturally. As for the snow in the mountains, it reminds me of a cabin I hung out in near Donner Summit in the early 80s where we had to dig down to get into our second story entrance. Our vehicles would disappear over night. We had tall poles to mark them with so the snow machines wouldn’t eat them. 🙂

    Reply

    1. People don’t really understand how much snow The Sierra’s can get. Often they have the most snow in the lower 48. Still this year is a doozy, with storms still plowing in back to back. My kids just came back from skiing in Mammoth. I told them to hold off. I’ve done probably 35 ski trips to Mammoth in my life. I knew this one was different დ

      Reply

  78. Dear Cindy
    great picture, perfect composition.
    We have a lot of avocets here. Birdwatcher from all over the UK come here to watch them. The avocet is the official symbol of North Norfolk and it’s a symbol of well-done preservation as the avocets was nearly died out here.
    Thanks for sharing
    The Fab Four of Cley
    🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

    Reply

    1. I must come to Norfolk. How wonderful it is when humans work together to save creatures that humans have nearly destroyed. Hope flies and floats! And what a beautiful symbol for Norfolk. Thank you for caring & take good care all fabulous four of you from Cley დ

      Reply

      1. Tonight our village will be out to save toads from being run over. Most of the people living here because of all this wildlife. It’s one of the oldest nature reserves in the UK.

        Reply

  84. Beautiful birds. New to me. I did get to see some Bluebirds at my son’s place last week.
    I just saw a Bluejay go by. With more robins around every day I’m hoping Spring shows up soon!

    Reply

      1. …They feed them dried meal worms…They put a hand fun in a flat feeder and it fills up pretty quick. I couldn’t get a guy, but I did get two gals 😀

        Spring at 31F??? One can hope 🙂

        Reply

    1. Hi Jet! Great to hear from you. It is so wonderful to see SoCal getting all the rain she so desperately needed and more is on the way. I do know it is wrecking havoc further north though and for this I am very sorry დ

      Reply

  90. Thank you for sharing some of your beautiful and bountiful avocets. They have yet to arrive here and I can’t wait.
    It was only recently that I learned about the Salton Sea. It’s nice to know that some of California’s water woes are getting some relief, at least temporarily.

    Reply

    1. They are certainly on the way. Wonderful they spend time with you, and yes, California is still getting slammed with precipitation. The Holler creek is a raging river for weeks now and I love it დ

      Reply

Leave a Reply to cindy knokeCancel reply