Ducks and shore birds....

After we stopped at the Heron Rookery the first time we drove on to the Henderson Slough to see if the ducks were still there. It was a "moody" sky day....more of that tomorrow for SkyWatch. One minute we would have some sun and the next it was huge clouds....sigh. Made the water pretty, but the birds hard to see.

Our main ducks for the day were Blue Wing Teals. Saw quite a few of those. My "life" duck list is really filling up this year :-)

Even though we didn't know what we were seeing until we got back home with the guide book, they were very distinctive with that white stripe around the bill.

They were in small groups on two different water areas we checked.

We also saw quite a few Shovelers. Luckily, even in bad light they are easy to recognize with that long bill

I liked the light on this one.

A Ring-necked duck on the left with a pair of Mallards.

I don't know what the two ducks in the front are. I can see Mallards and a Wigeon in the weeds. Not a very clear photo.

There was a small rivulet of water running through this field and a few Mallards were cruising. The other two....American Black ducks, maybe?? They were about the same size as the Mallards as seen below.

I thought is was funny that they chose this tiny bit of water over the larger areas.

Just once I wish I could get a really clear Sandpiper photo! I don't know how to make my camera pick out the detail better....sigh. The bird just blends in with the bank and water. This is cropped somewhat and just not clear enough for me to tell what sort of sandpiper it might be.

I let the photo program "adjust" this one, but I don't find it a lot better.

Same water area, but the Killdeer was on my side and is much clearer!

I do like Killdeers with their pretty stripes. So easy to spot!

OK...it isn't a duck or a shore bird :-) This is the "resident" Kestrel we see every time we go there. Mike took this one of him on a pole. Usually he moves from the wires the minute we slow down for a photo. Don't know about that bit of grass up there.

They have opened up the roads in the protected area now that the geese are gone and I guess hunting season is over. I hope to explore more of these roads in the future. The roads are gravel and often partly flooded, so without a truck or 4-wheel drive it can be difficult during wet months.