Off-season for the American Avocets at Merced National Wildlife Refuge

The Merced National Wildlife Refuge is much more than a wintering ground for charismatic migrants like the Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese. The pools, marshes, and riparian habitats preserve a precious rare portion of the original Great Valley, the vast savanna that once extended for 400 miles from the present site of Bakersfield to Redding. Today, more than 95% of the valley is given over to agriculture and urban development.

We get to the Merced National Wildlife Refuge whenever we can. There are a string of such refuges along the entire length of the valley, with some more amenable to public visitation than others. The Merced offers several hiking trails and a nice six-mile auto-tour that provides access to a variety of habitats. It's rare when we don't see some kind of interesting bird.

The American Avocets (Recurvirostra americana) we saw were in winter mode, lacking the tan or orange coloring around their necks and heads that advertises their readiness for breeding. We saw a number of them along the marshes, and several were kind enough to hold still for a few moments of photography.

The Avocets range from Central America (winter) to the northern United States and southern Canada (summer breeding). The Merced refuge seems to be a local hot spot for viewing them, according to the eBird reports. Their health in Great Valley refuges was threatened for a time by selenium poisoning from agricultural runoff (exacerbated by natural sources). Mitigation efforts have allowed the bird populations to rebound.

American Avocet at the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, Bear Creek Unit

Mrs. Geotripper got the prize shot the other day of the American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana) that we saw at the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge. I was on the wrong side of the car when the Avocet decided to walk out of the water and display her wings. The Avocets migrate trough our area on their way north for breeding and there was still plenty of water at the Bear Creek Unit. .

The long curved beak is obviously evolved to sweep through mud and silt, allowing the bird to capture small invertebrates. The bright colors are related to breeding. In the off-season the birds are a bit plainer in appearance (see this post from last year).

An American Avocet and the Stages of Relaxation...

This is a bird that understands gravity. The American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana) is a common sight near freshwater ponds and marshes in the American west, although it suffered population declines during the 1960s and 1970s due to wetlands destruction, and the buildup of selenium in some areas. They are doing better these days.

I was watching this one working hard at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge the other day, and found myself fascinated by its long legs. It's gotta be tiring walking on stilts all the time. My attention was drawn to another bird that looked the same, but with much shorter legs. I realized it was another Avocet, but it was resting on its knees.

Finally there was a third bird that didn't look like the other Avocets, but that was because its bill was hidden. The bird was finally in a state of full relaxation, all folded up!