Avocet, mud and barbed wire

On By Mike and Christy

Avocet, mud and barbed wire

Although there were cleaner looking ponds in the area this Avocet seemed to prefer this muddy roadside pond surrounded by a barbed wire fence. I guess the foraging must have been good despite the muddy waters.

34 thoughts on “Avocet, mud and barbed wire”

  2. There is so much to like in this capture. I love the way the bird is sharp and everything else is soft. The reflection and the shadow form a triad with the bird. Great photo!

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    1. Eliza, thanks for the thoughtful comment. The slight breeze that day made the water soft give the exposure of the shot. There must have been good bugs in this pond as almost every other Avocet was down the road in nice clear blue water.

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    1. Thanks Debbi, I was hesitant to convert this to BW as I usually prefer birds in color but the landscape and overall mood seemed best in BW. Wishing you a great weekend.

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  13. The mud is what makes it such a prime spot! For all the slimy, creepy little critters the Avocet eats, mud is like heaven. 😉 The muddier the better, too. Most of the shores where you can find Avocets here in colorado are usually mud flats, the nasty, putrid black muck that results from decades of decaying plant matter. For an Avocet, mud == smorgasboard.

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    1. Jon, muddier is better indeed. Too bad we have so little of it around here. We did see some avocets as well as black neck stilts playing in the mud out in weld county last week. Hope we get a little moisture soon to keep things nice and muddy so the shorebirds decide to make a stop over.

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      1. Here’s to hoping! I’m in the same boat…we’ve had a lot of precipitation, but it seems to have suddenly fallen off a cliff. I haven’t seen any Avocets yet this year, and stilts are pretty rare here. Would be awesome to see both.

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        1. Indeed it would be great to get more precipitation and the weather the last week seems really strange to me. Cloudy, warm and without precipitation or afternoon showers. Feels like another place.

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