One Good Bird Is All We Need

On our first trip through Bear River we didn’t spot a single Avocet chick, though we did spot several other baby birds, probably more than I’ve ever seen in a single day. There were so many Western/Clark Grebe babies I still haven’t managed to sort through all of them.

At first glance I thought these were Mallard ducklings, but once I caught a good look at the mommy it was clear they were the first Northern Shoveler ducklings

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I had ever seen. This brood of ducks, unlike most Mallard broods I’ve seen, stayed tightly together, and momma was quite protective, even chasing away nearby ducks.

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I’ve seem Pied Grebe chicks before but have never gotten shots like this,

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or this, before.

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The highlight of the morning, though, came near the end of the auto tour when Leslie spotted this Black-Necked Stilt acting strangely.

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Then she spotted this chick through the binoculars.

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I couldn’t see it with my bare eyes and could barely find it through the 500mm lens with a doubler on it.

I wouldn’t have had any idea what kind of bird it was if a parent hadn’t been nearby.

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Though I was disappointed that we still hadn’t seen a single Avocet chick after driving 800 miles, this single chick

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made the morning feel very special.

As Ruth always said, “One Good Bird, that’s all we need.”

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