Shorebirds

The Shorebirds page displays 90 images of American Avocets, Black-Necked Stilts,
Marbled Godwits, Willets, Black-Bellied Plovers, Least Sandpipers, Long-Billed Curlews
and other shorebirds taken at Bolsa Chica, Ballona Creek, Newport Back Bay and images
 which were taken in the Palo Alto wetlands, at the LA River, and in Alaska to add context.

Click an image to open a larger version.
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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Wildlife Collections page where a Gallery can be selected.

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Images can be found in the following Collections (Direct Links)

Birds Collections:           Shorebirds

Avocets, Stilts and Yellowlegs       Assorted Shorebirds

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American Avocet 4166

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American Avocet 4169

The American Avocet in non-breeding plumage, taken at Newport Back Bay in February.
The long blue-gray legs of this wading shorebird are distinctive. The Avocet feeds in shallow
water and mud flats by thrusting its beak in and stirring it from side to side to flush out aquatic
invertebrates, crustaceans, insects and plant material. It is similar to the Stilts shown below.

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American Avocet 4204

The American Avocet has an upwardly curved bill, and is the tallest of the Avocet species.

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American Avocet 4186

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American Avocet 4188

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American Avocet 4198

An American Avocet watches a hawk passing overhead.

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American Avocet 4217 M

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American Avocet 4202 M

An American Avocet wading through the mud flats at Newport Back Bay.

M-sized images are 1500 x 1200 (or 1500 x 1290 with title bar).

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American Avocet 4220

An Avocet digs through the mud looking for its next meal.

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American Avocets 4227 M

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American Avocets 4232

Two Avocets patrolling the mud flats at Newport Back Bay.

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American Avocets 4235 M

White feathers against the dark backgrounds of water and mud
make photographing Avocets a challenging exposure problem.

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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Wildlife Collections page where a Gallery can be selected.

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Images can be found in the following Collections (Direct Links)

Birds Collections:           Shorebirds

Avocets, Stilts and Yellowlegs       Assorted Shorebirds

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AmericanAvocets_4239


American Avocets 4239

American Avocets in the thick gooey mud of Newport Back Bay.
Their blue-gray legs gave them the colloquial name of “blue shanks”.
The female Avocet’s bill curves upwards more than the male bird’s bill.

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American Avocet 4245

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American Avocet Breeding Colors 1972

An American Avocet in breeding plumage in May.

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American Avocet Breeding Colors 1997

These were taken at the Baylands Nature Reserve in Palo Alto.

The American Avocet is the only species with distinctive
breeding and non-breeding plumages. The head and neck
acquire a russet to cinnamon coloration for breeding season.

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Mating Avocets: Foreplay 0325 M

American Avocets conduct elaborate courtship displays that include preening and splashing.

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Sex on the Beach 0327 M

Mating American Avocets at Baylands Nature Reserve in May.

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Mating Avocets: The Look of Love 0329 M

The male looks longingly at the female after denouement.
Notice the more strongly curved bill of the female Avocet.

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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Wildlife Collections page where a Gallery can be selected.

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Images can be found in the following Collections (Direct Links)

Birds Collections:           Shorebirds

Avocets, Stilts and Yellowlegs       Assorted Shorebirds

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Black-Necked Stilts X0811 M

Two Black-Necked Stilts patrol the shallow waters of a canal at Bolsa Chica wetlands.
The male bird (on the right) has a slight greenish sheen on its back and wing feathers.
Black-Necked Stilts have long reddish-pink legs and a black stripe reaching from the
black head cap down the back of the neck to the shoulder, back and wing feathers.

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Black-Necked Stilt X0802 M

The black cap covers the entire head except for a white patch above the eye and a thin curved stripe below the eye.

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Black-Necked Stilt X0805 M

Black-Necked Stilts wade in shallow water to feed on aquatic invertebrates, crustaceans, insects and small fish.

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Black-Necked Stilt Flight X0826

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Black-Necked Stilt Flight 0562

Black-Necked Stilts in flight at Bolsa Chica (left) and at the LA River.

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Black-Necked Stilt 0523

A Black-Necked Stilt surveys its territory from atop a rock at the LA River.

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Black-Necked Stilts 0323

Black-Necked Stilts browsing the shallows at Bolsa Chica Wetlands.

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Black-Necked Stilt 0325 M

Above and below are close-portraits of Black-Necked Stilts at Bolsa Chica on an overcast November day.

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Black-Necked Stilt 0351 M

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Black-Necked Stilt 0450 M

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Black-Necked Stilt 0353

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Black-Necked Stilt 0269

Black-Necked Stilt portraits taken at Bolsa Chica and the LA River. Note the red sclera of the bird’s eye.

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Black-Necked Stilt Flight 0424

A Black-Necked Stilt in flight at the LA River.

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Stilt Hurdles 4986

Shot during the qualifying heats for the Stilt Olympics at the LA River, this image shows
the winner of the third heat displaying his winning form as he approaches the finish line.

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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Wildlife Collections page where a Gallery can be selected.

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Images can be found in the following Collections (Direct Links)

Birds Collections:           Shorebirds

Avocets, Stilts and Yellowlegs       Assorted Shorebirds

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Short-Billed Dowitcher 1260

A Short-Billed Dowitcher probes for invertebrates in shallow water near the edge of the Salton Sea.

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Godwits Dowitchers X0822

Marbled Godwits and Dowitchers at Bolsa Chica wetlands.

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Marbled Godwits X0821

Marbled Godwits in the Main Canal at Bolsa Chica.

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Marbled Godwit X0676

The Marbled Godwit is a large shorebird, 18” tall with a long upwardly curved black-tipped pink bill.
They eat insects, crustaceans and marine worms, probing with their long bills. They can insert their
entire bill in the mud, submerging the head completely. They catch insects by sight in grassy areas.

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Marbled Godwit 3509

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Marbled Godwit 3515

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Marbled Godwit 3516

The Marbled Godwit also eats aquatic plants, as this one is doing in January at Bolsa Chica.

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Marbled Godwit HS0970

A Marbled Godwit browsing at Bolsa Chica (a defocused foreground Godwit has been cropped).

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Marbled Godwit HS0967c

Water drips off of the 5” black-tipped pink bill of a Marbled Godwit
in this detail crop of an image taken at the Bolsa Chica Main Canal.

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Marbled Godwit 3530 M

A Marbled Godwit inspects the shallow waters at the edge of the Main Canal at Bolsa Chica.

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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Wildlife Collections page where a Gallery can be selected.

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Images can be found in the following Collections (Direct Links)

Birds Collections:           Shorebirds

Avocets, Stilts and Yellowlegs       Assorted Shorebirds

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MarbledGodwits_HS0976


Marbled Godwits HS0976

Marbled Godwits in the algae-strewn waters near the edge of the Main Canal at Bolsa Chica in April.

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Marbled Godwit HS5817

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Marbled Godwit HS5826

A Marbled Godwit patrols the rocks beside Ballona Creek, further north near Marina del Rey.

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Marbled Godwit Takeoff X0157

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Marbled Godwit Takeoff X0709

Marbled Godwits in flight at the Bolsa Chica wetlands.

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Godwits in Flight 0341

Marbled Godwits follow a Semipalmated Sandpiper and a Willet down a subsidiary canal at Bolsa Chica.

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Willet HS6010

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Willet HS5885

Willets in non-breeding plumage in December, standing on rocks at the edge of Ballona Creek.

The Willet is a large shorebird in the Sandpiper family, a little over a foot tall. It has a drab gray-brown
head, back and closed wing color, and strikingly marked wingtips and lower wings (see flight shots).
They feed in shallow water and mud flats, probing with their long bills or taking food off the surface.
They eat aquatic insects, marine worms, invertebrates and crustaceans, mollusks and plants.

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Willets Black-Bellied Plovers HS5985

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Willets HS5881

Willets and Black-Bellied Plovers standing on the rocks beside Ballona Creek in December.

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Willet HS5873 M

A detailed portrait of a Willet posing beside Ballona Creek in December.

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Willets HS9646

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Willets and Sandpipers HS9649

A Willet comes in for a landing amongst his fellows and some Sandpipers at Ballona Creek.

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Willet Landing HS9666 M

A close detail shot of a Willet scooping air prior to a landing at Ballona Creek.

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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Wildlife Collections page where a Gallery can be selected.

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Images can be found in the following Collections (Direct Links)

Birds Collections:           Shorebirds

Avocets, Stilts and Yellowlegs       Assorted Shorebirds

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Willet Flight X0679

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Willet Flight HS5997

Willets in flight at Bolsa Chica (left) and Ballona Creek, showing the striking patterns
on the upper wingtips and lower wings, and the white rump and gray inner tail feathers.

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Willet Flight HS5912 M

A Willet in flight, reflected in the calm waters of Ballona Creek.

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Willet Flight HS5914

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Willet Flight HS5920

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Willet Flight HS5921 M

A Willet in flight, with its reflection approaching a feather floating in the placid waters of Ballona Creek.

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Willets Godwits HS1896

Willets and Marbled Godwits alongside the Main Canal at Bolsa Chica.

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Willets Godwits HS1902 LG
(2000 x 1092, 716 KB)

A Willet and a Marbled Godwit landing in the marsh alongside the Main Canal at Bolsa Chica.

This is a large, highly-detailed 2000 x 1092 pixel watermarked image.

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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Wildlife Collections page where a Gallery can be selected.

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Images can be found in the following Collections (Direct Links)

Birds Collections:           Shorebirds

Avocets, Stilts and Yellowlegs       Assorted Shorebirds

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Ruddy Turnstone HS5861

A Ruddy Turnstone in non-breeding plumage, standing in the rocks beside Ballona Creek.

The Ruddy Turnstone is a small, stocky wading bird in the Sandpiper family. The brownish
color of the pattern in the back and upper wings turns reddish brown in mating season, and
the head acquires a black and white harlequin pattern, giving the bird a clownish appearance.

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Ruddy Turnstones Breeding Plumage HS9713

 

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Ruddy Turnstones Breeding Plumage HS9808

 

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Ruddy Turnstones Breeding Plumage HS9816

 

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Black-Bellied Plover HS6029

A Black-Bellied Plover in flight at Ballona Creek in December.

The Black-Bellied Plover is a medium-sized shorebird which has
a breeding plumage which is strikingly different than that seen above.
The face and neck are black with a white border, and the entire belly back
to the tail is black. This breeding plumage is what gave the bird its name.
The Black-Bellied Plover migrates to the Arctic for the breeding season.

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Black-Bellied Plovers HS6071

Black-Bellied Plovers on the rocks beside Ballona Creek.

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Black-Bellied Plovers Least Sandpipers HS6044

Black-Bellied Plovers and Least Sandpipers.

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Least Sandpipers HS6060

A group of Least Sandpipers flies in to join some Black-Bellied Plovers on the rocks beside Ballona Creek.

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Least Sandpipers HS6062

Least Sandpipers are the smallest of the shorebirds. They flock in groups of dozens to a few
hundred (as opposed to the thousands that their larger cousins prefer). They feed on insects
in grassy areas, and crustaceans, mollusks and marine worms on mud flats and shorelines.

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Least Sandpipers Flight HS5959

A group of Least Sandpipers reflected in the placid waters of Ballona Creek near sunset in December.

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Least Sandpipers Flight HS5969

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Least Sandpipers Flight HS5971

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Least Sandpipers Flight HS5967

A group of Least Sandpipers, reflected in the calm waters of Ballona Creek, fly past a Black-Bellied Plover.

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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Wildlife Collections page where a Gallery can be selected.

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Images can be found in the following Collections (Direct Links)

Birds Collections:           Shorebirds

Avocets, Stilts and Yellowlegs       Assorted Shorebirds

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Semipalmated Sandpipers X0697

A thundering herd of Semipalmated Sandpipers flying down the Main Canal at Bolsa Chica.

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Curlew Flight HS2044

A Long-Billed Curlew in flight in the early evening near sunset at Bolsa Chica.

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Long-Billed Curlew 3426

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Long-Billed Curlew 3429

A Long-Billed Curlew hunting at mid-afternoon at Bolsa Chica.
These challenging back-lit shots were difficult to expose and process.

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Long-Billed Curlew 3432

A Long-Billed Curlew captures a mollusk in the Main Canal at Bolsa Chica.

The Long-Billed Curlew is the largest of the shorebirds. The 8.75” bill is one third of its body length.
It uses the long bill to feed in shallow water and open grassland areas for crabs, mollusks, worms,
shrimp and insects. They also use their bill to probe in burrows. They do not eat plant material.

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Long-Billed Curlew 3437 M

A Long-Billed Curlew surveys the Bolsa Chica Main Canal.

The upper part of the downward-curved bill overhangs the end of the lower bill and terminates in an expanded tip.

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Long-Billed Curlew 3438

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Long-Billed Curlew 3439

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Long-Billed Curlew 3441

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Long-Billed Curlew 3450

A Long-Billed Curlew wading in the Main Canal at Bolsa Chica.

The Long-Billed Curlew is closely related to the Whimbrel, which is
also in the Curlew family. The Whimbrel is more strongly marked, has
a shorter, thicker bill, and is about three-quarters of the size of the
Long-Billed Curlew (see the Whimbrel image shown below).

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Whimbrels X2940

Whimbrels browsing on the sand flats beside Silver Salmon Creek, Alaska.

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Greater Yellowlegs X2947 M

A Greater Yellowlegs in the shallows of Silver Salmon Creek, Alaska.

More images of Greater Yellowlegs are in the Alaska and Bosque del Apache sections.

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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Wildlife Collections page where a Gallery can be selected.

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Images can be found in the following Collections (Direct Links)

Birds Collections:           Shorebirds

Avocets, Stilts and Yellowlegs       Assorted Shorebirds

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