American Avocet Displaying

On our western Canadian bird tour today, in southern Saskatchewan, we saw dozens of American Avocets (Recurvirostra americana--fairly large shorebird or wader) on their northerly nesting grounds. Their ruddy necks and heads are characteristic of their breeding plumage; in winter they almost entirely white, with the same black on the wings that is visible here. They were very active, constantly vocalizing, and much of it doubtless had to do with courtship. This bird is probably a female--males tend to have less of a curve in their bills.

The Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta) found in Europe is a different species, though very similar in appearance. It was reintroduced at Minsmere in England in the 1940s, which led the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds to adopt it as its logo.

We also saw at least a dozen piping plovers--a bird very familiar to me from my home territory in Massachusetts. A substantial population nests in the upper wesst and midwest of North America (in addition to the Atlantic coast).

At one point a somewhat usual-looking bird drew our attention, which our guide, Tom Hince, identified as a Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica)--another shorebird, well out of its normal range in Eurasia. Tom suspected that this is the first time this species has been seen in Saskatchewan--an exciting find (they occasionally are seen along the Pacific Coast).