It's a busy summer and I have seldom had a chance to stop at Baskett Slough. Sunday, on my way back from delivering Johnny and grandson Ian to the train station for their trip south to visit and then bring back the California grandkids, I stopped. What a lovely interlude! With very little water anywhere on the refuge, the wading birds were close enough for photos. And what lovely wading birds they were. There were nine Great Egrets...
Four Black-necked Stilts...
 |
| Brown back means female? |
Two Greater Yellowlegs...
... except one had red legs?? And was very colorful. I presume in breeding plumage?
I asked about the red legs on Oregon Birders Online and found out that everyone who replied sees yellow in these photos, not red. So I guess it's my monitor. But they also looked red-ish in the field. Another person said late afternoon sun brings out the warmer colors.
There was also a group of Dowitchers, presumably Long-billed, but my photos are useless.
And a couple peeps that I got blurry photos of. I assumed one was a Western Sandpiper. The other, a Dunlin maybe? All I do with peeps is guess.
I prefer birds that are unquestionably and elegantly what they are...
