Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge: other birds

Around Lake Aguirre we found a few other birds, although I was so "focused" on finding and photographing the Spoonbills, I sort of neglected the other birds we saw. I did get a few photos, some better than others, but here are the better ones:

Belted Kingfishers always look a bit odd to me, like a cartoon character with their head and massive bill as big as the rest of their body (well, not quite):

Belted Kingfisher

Then there were some Ibises with some debate as to whether they were "just" White Faced Ibises or the much rarer Glossy Ibis. The White Faced has a red eye and upon examination it does seem like one or more has a reddish eye. Yet some of the eyes appear to be black. Is it possible? Well, I think if the Roseate Spoonbills were sent off course by the hurricanes, why not the Glossy Ibis too? Where their territories overlap they are known to mingle.

White Faced and Glossy Ibis

 A bit of a surprise to see a Prairie Falcon by water, but I guess they need an occasional drink too:

Prairie Falcon

Nearby was a family of Harrier Hawks -- I think the parents were teaching the young ones how to hunt:

Harrier Hawk

 Several Warblers including McGillivray's, Wilson's, Lucy's, and Orange Crowned. Here's the Orange Crowned:

Orange Crowned Warbler

Finally just as we were leaving the Refuge one of many Western Kingbirds caught my eye and wanted a photo taken:

Western Kingbird

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".