Lake Cochise

I drove over to Lake Cochise in Willcox looking for the Northern Waterthrush (one of the few Arizona Warblers I've not photographed).

No luck with the warbler, but as usual did come away with some nice photos:

Black Necked Stilt, American Avocet, and Western Sandpiper

Belted Kingfisher

Belted Kingfisher

Black Crowned Night Heron, Juvenile

Black Necked Stilt

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

Wilson's Phalarope

Yellow Headed Blackbird

Lake Cochise

In addition to the four Herons seen at Lake Cochise (and shared in the last two posts) here are a few other finds:

American Avocet

Black Necked Stilt

Loggerhead Shrike with catch

Western Meadowlark

White Faced Ibis

Yellow Headed Blackbird

Birding Patagonia - II

Next up Patagonia Lake:

American Avocet

Black Phoebe

Killdeer

Ladder Backed Woodpecker

McGillivray's Warbler

Sanderling

Sora

Whitewater Draw: the End of Winter

Whitewater Draw was "drawing" down for the winter as well. There were still a couple thousand Sandhill Cranes, but most have left. And, still a couple hundred Snow Geese. Many of the wintering Ducks have also begun their Spring Migration home.  However, a few Green Winged Teals remained, as well as American Avocets, and Greater Yellowlegs. I was also pleased to find the American Bittern and a Great Egret that wanted his picture taken too. Oh, and the usually present Great Horned Owl. Here, then, the best from Whitewater Draw this trip:

American Avocet

Greater Yellowlegs

Sandhill Cranes

Pyrrhuloxia

American Bittern

Green Winged Teal

Great Egret

Great Horned Owl

American Avocet

This photo of two American Avocets I found interesting. Their reflections in the water along with the grasses and their reflections made for an interesting --- artistic photo:

American Avocet: Whitewater Draw, Arizona

Birders vs Wildlife Photographer

I am not a "Birder" in the true sense of the word. Yes, I know something about birds. And, yes, I have photographed a great many birds. But I don't keep a list of every bird I have seen and I don't go out in the field with binoculars. I go out with my camera. I figure if I need binoculars to see a bird, then I am not close enough for a good "sellable" photo.  Since I am almost completely deaf I cannot identify birds by their sound. (Can't even find birds by their sound). I have to rely on sight, both to find and identify. When I first started out, all sparrows were lumped into a category call "LBBs" (little brown birds). While I am still not great at identifying all the sparrows, there are a few I can: black throated, chipping, lark, white crowned, and house. The others I need a photograph and even then I have difficulty. 

Waterbirds are a little easier. This is probably because they aren't hiding in trees and flittering around everywhere. (Although many of the sandpipers are as challenging to identify as the sparrows). Waterbirds are typically in wide open space, i.e. a pond, a lake, the ocean, etc. Of course getting close to them can be a problem especially if they are out in the middle of the lake. If you also happen to be in the middle of the lake, then, well, you get something like this:

Common Loon

While Southern Arizona doesn't have quite the water of Washington State or British Columbia, there are a few reliable places. Lake Cochise for example provides a wonderful opportunity for "water" birding. Here are a few photos for a trip I made last week:

American Avocet

Black Necked Stilts

White Faced and Glossy Ibis

Killdeer

Long Billed Curlew

Marbled Godwit (with Black Necked Stilts and American Avocets)

Wilsons Phalarope

That's a nice variety of waterbirds for a 15 minute drive around the "auto loop". 

Dry Falls Lake, Washington

Dry Falls is a 3.5 mile long scalloped precipice in central Washington on the opposite side of the Upper Grand Coulee from the Columbia River, and at the head of the Lower Grand Coulee. Ten times the size of Niagara Falls, Dry Falls is thought to be the greatest known waterfall that ever existed. According to the current geological model, catastrophic flooding channeled water at 65 miles per hour through the Upper Grand Coulee and over this 400-foot rock face at the end of the last ice age. At this time, it is estimated that the flow of the falls was ten times the current flow of all the rivers in the world combined. 

Today, this massive cliff can be viewed above from the Dry Falls Interpretive Center, part of Sun Lakes State Park between the towns of Soap Lake and Coulee City. Dry Falls Lake which sits at the base of -- what else -- Dry Falls, is a Fly Fishing only lake. Although there is a "one fish limit" nearly all anglers practice catch and release there. I am embarrassed to admit, that I caught 74 fish there one day, and over 150 for the weekend. Most of the fish caught were between 18 and 20 inches, although there were some around 16. It is an absolutely beautiful setting for fishing. 

I missed many photo ops while my main focus was fishing. But, once I bought a camera I did get a few photos at Dry Falls before turning entirely to Wildlife Photography: 

American Avocet

Black Crowned Night Heron (Juvenile)

Dragonfly

Porcupine

Violet Green Swallow

Other Reflections

Sometimes reflections are easy -- right in front of you -- bird in still water. Sometimes the reflection isn't as obvious as in the first photo of the American Avocets. Here is wasn't until I got home and had a chance to really look at my photos of the day that I realized it was special -- almost an abstract painting. Sometimes, as in the last to photos of the ducks, the color gives you a wonderful surprise, something more than just a reflection.

American Avocet at Whitewater Draw, Arizona

Black Necked Stilt at Sweetwater Wetlands, Arizona

Killdeer at Blue Lake, Washington

Long Billed Dowitcher at Lake Cochise, Arizona

Northern Shoveler at Mercer Slough, Washington

American Wigeon at Davis Lake, Oregon