George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary – Page 73

The Moult

New arrivals still continue to show up.

While some adult birds are still tending young,

… others are starting to moult. Bird feathers get damaged and the process of shedding the old to make way for the new is called moulting. Not all feathers are replaced at once and this can occur more than once during the year.

In the case of this Mallard you can see the new primary and secondary flight feathers growing in. This adds some literal meaning to the idiom “sitting duck” when you cannot fly. For this reason some water birds will stay in large groups for safety while moulting.

Great Horned Owl

While I have been seeing adult Great Horned Owls recently, no sign of any juveniles. Early in the year it almost looked like the pair frequenting Reifel might nest in the sanctuary again. This did not happen with the duo likely nesting in the Alaksen National Wildlife Area next door. This afternoon at Reifel I got my first glimpse of a juvenile for this season.

It was not in a good location for photos, obstructed by branches and with some difficult back light. None the less, it was finally fun to see one. At least its eyes were wide open because of the crows harassing it. All the ruckus is what got my attention in the first place.

Shore Birds & Crane Family

Reifel was the destination this afternoon. There was not much happening on the inside trails except for a Great Horned Owl. While nice to see, it was not in a good spot for photos. So I made may way to the outside ponds with shore birds being more prevalent these days. There was a flock of Western Sandpipers present, but too far off.

A couple of Killdeer were in a little closer,

… and provided a couple of photo ops. There were both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs,

… with this group of Greater Yellowlegs catching an afternoon nap.

Then a small group of Semipalmated Sandpipers showed up.

A couple of them coming close enough for some shots. Long-billed Dowitchers were the only other shore bird species observed. While watching the sandpipers the resident Sandhill Crane family made an appearance.