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| Maggie and me at the Kansas Wetlands Ed Center for a break |
Our canteen is there in the shade; we like to get a drink then people-watch during our breaks!
OK - on to the "lifers"! The first ones we saw were Black Terns!
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| Black Tern in flight |
Unlike other terns, Black Terns don't dive into the water to catch fish - they feed off insects they gather as they fly. They migrate through Kansas in the Spring and Fall. Here is a bunch on land:
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| Black Terns and a Wilson's Phalarope |
More about Phalaropes tomorrow!
Another "lifer" was the Glossy Ibis!
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| Glossy Ibis! |
We usually see White-Faced Ibises here during the migration seasons, but seeing Glossy Ibises is a real treat! They look VERY much alike; there is a slight difference in the face and leg colors. The experts who run the center at Quivira NWR confirmed there were Glossies in the area!
The next "lifer" is not a birdie. In fact, we're surprised Mom took this picture at all, but she knew a few of our friends would want to see it. Divert your eyes if you need to -- it's a sneaky snake!
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| A snake. Quite possibly a Bull Snake, but Mom would have to look through pictures of a bunch of snakes to be sure. That's not going to happen. |
For those who might be wondering, Mom took the shots of him (click here for a closeup) from the safety of the HR-V. And rolled the window up quickly afterwards. And asked Dad to floor it. You get the picture.
Now ... on to more pleasant things, like Mom's new favorite:
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| THE Snowy Plover, ladies and gentlemen! |
They are only six inches long and blend in really well with their environment; it's easy to miss them! Here he is, stalking some bugs:
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| "Slowly I turned ..." |
Mom thinks they are just adorable! Here he is, checking his reflection:
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| "Am I really as cute as the Camera Lady says?!?" |
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| "Oooh, I just might be!" |
Quivira NWR is just on the eastern edge of the breeding ground for these tiny guys, so we feel really blessed to have seen a few.
Thanks for reading - tomorrow, we'll wrap up this latest birding expedition!
Cammie!
Our mom was totally enjoying the pretty bird pictures (the snow plover is super cute!) and then the snake scared the you-know-what out of her!
ReplyDeleteOk, that snake is frightening
ReplyDeleteLily & Edward
The snow plover is so cute! My mom doesn't like snakes either, Cammie.
ReplyDeleteThat is one big snake!
ReplyDeleteIt was at least 87 feet long. Really.
DeleteCam and Maggie's mom
OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MY WORD YOUR BIRDING LOCATION MUST BE ON A REGULAR MIGRATION ROUTE. I HAD NO IDEA THERE WERE THAT MANY BIRDS IN
ReplyDeleteKANSAS!!! WOW YES WE ARE SHOUTING. AS FOR THE SNAKE..........................yikes mom doesn't even like worms...if she saw that thing in person she'd have a major clean up if you get my drift
Hugs madi your bfff
An Ibis??????? I was finking they came from Egypt….aren't they painted on the walls in pyramids?????
ReplyDeleteI had Mr Heron stop by to look in on my fit in the pond at the weekend, the peeps were not happy
Loves and licky kisses
Princess Leah xxx
Pretty birdies! We have the Western Snowy Plover here and there's 10 beaches designated just for them during breeding season. No dogs or peeps are allowed to go in their area so they can raise their babies peacefully. There's no way in halibut our mommy would've stayed around long enough to get a pic of that snake! She would've been in Oklahoma in 2.3 seconds!
ReplyDeleteYikes, your mom is very brave to take a picture of the snake.
ReplyDeleteWe loved the pictures of the snow plover, he has quite the personality!
We all have to agree that the snow plover is just so cute. He/she makes us want to smile, and that is always good. Now that snake, Mom said she just had to look the other way - SCARY!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing all the beautiful birdies.
Woos - Misty and Lightning
The birds are so beautiful. Lady must learn more about the birds in our area.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the snowy plover, and your photos of him are fantastic!!! I do think that's a Bull Snake - I've seen them around here and in Utah. And congrats on your lifer! The list grows :)
ReplyDeleteThe snowy plover is one of our favorites too!!
ReplyDeleteSmileys!
Jakey, Arty & Bilbo
Wowsa! That snake was HUGE! Ma doesn't mind snakes too much, butts likes to keep her distance...it was a good idea that she told your Pops to floor it, cause you don't want him stowing away in your HR-V!!! OMD, that Snowy Plover is ADORABLES!!!! I can see why your Moms looooves them so much! I thinks he loves himself too...hehehehe
ReplyDeleteI can tell by the FABulous photos, that your MOms PT is goin' very very very well!
Kisses,
Ruby ♥
Oh, the Snowy Plover is so cute! I think that may be our favorite. The snake on the other paw...you can keep that big, bad boy in your neck of the woods!
ReplyDelete