Early Afternoon Birding on Leap Day 2020

Skip and I went to the Birding Centre after lunch for low-ish tide. There is often an interesting bird on the fence beside the parking lot.

Today it was the eastern phoebe.

I took a bunch of photos.

In the mistflower bed there were the usual fiery skippers and a female monarch.

Out on the flats was a brown pelican that had just plopped down.

The long-billed curlew was very close to us.

The reddish egret gave us a great grooming display.

The bright yellow feet of the snowy egret are visible beneath the surface of the water.

For once, the Wilson's snipe wasn't so elusive.

The immature black-crowned night heron was out in the open today.

The pied-billed grebe's bill has a very dark stripe. It indicates that it is ready to breed.

Tricoloured heron.

The snoozing willet is also in breeding plumage.

Back in the parking lot a pyrrhuloxia flew up onto the fence. The wind blew its crest right over.

This is a much mor dignified shot. Another name for these are 'desert cardinals'.

Back at the mistflower garden I spotted a phaon crescent butterfly.

Then we went next door to the convention centre.

There was another eastern phoebe there.

Out on the flats a single royal tern headed into the wind along with the black skippers.

Marbled godwit (centre)

This was the best shot I could get of the godwit given the light and distance. Its bill is slightly upturned.

Along the tree line beside the convention centre was another eastern phoebe.

It was a great afternoon of birding on a brilliantly sunny day.

And tomorrow is the first day of March.