21 March 14, the FOY Piping Plover (Hank Golet reported a pair in Old Lyme today too), at the Milford Point Spit (on the Cedar Beach side).  A male, feeding near a pair of AMOYs (might be two pair there).  A record Photo below:

Mondo Ponds Redheads, 6 Mar 14

A record shot of a drake Redhead at Mondo Ponds in Milford.  Also in photo, what I take to be a hen Redhead (light color at base of bill common for female Redhead as well as more marked white on Scaup).  Told from other Aythya ducks by head shape and overall tawny coloring, and grayish back; also pattern of black at bill tip which surrounds entire bill tip, in contrast to either Greater or Lesser Scaup.  No Pintail today, but present a Common Merganser.  Other ducks included many Ring-necked, Hooded Mergansers, American Wigeon, a few Gadwall, Coots, many Mallards.  One note: much mention in BNA and Sibley re possible hybridization of Aythya species.

Drake Redhead with hen? and hen American Wigeon, Mallard, drake Ring-necked

Wilson's Plover, 2/21/14 Tigertail Beach, Marco Island FL

A few photos of Wilson's Plover, a long sought after  plover, found at Tigertail Beach on Marco Island, south of Naples, FL.  A few record shots of Wilson's Plover with a Sanderling for size comparison; notice impressive bill on the Wilson's (much thicker and more powerful than the Sanderling's), well designed for digging crabs out of the sand, as it has done in photo #1.

Sanderling and Wilson's Plover, Tigertail Beach, Marco Island 2/21/14

Wilson's Plover, Marco Island, 2/21/14

Wilson's Plover, Marco Island 2/21/14

Wilson's Plover, Marco Island 2/21/14

Elkhorn Slough, 2/5/14 LB Curlew, M Godwit, S Scoter, Sea Lions, Sea Otters

Record shots from Elkhorn Slough (some from safari boat), most from shore, on 2/5/14.  This wetland area adjacent to Monterrey Bay area features seals, sea lions, sea otters (a major breeding ground), Godwits (many thousands), Long-billed Curlews (thousands),  and Willets (thousands).  The beach is a nesting ground for Snowy Plover.  Monterrey Bay, of course, features abundant pelagic birds in season (boasting one million Sooty Shearwaters in the fall).

Sea Lions, Elkhorn Slough 2/5/14

Forster's Tern, Elkhorn SLough 2/5/14

Marbled Godwit, Elkhorn Slough 2/5/14

Long-billed Curlew, Elkhorn Slough 2/5/14

LB Curlew Elkhorn Slough 2/5/14

LB Curlew Elkhorn Slough 2/5/14

Surf Scoters, Elkhorn Slough 2/5/14

LB Curlew, Elkhorn Slough 2/5/14

LB Curlew 2/5/14

Marbled Godwit, 2/5/14 Elkhorn Slough

Dowitchers, Elhorn Slough Wildlife Area 2/5/14

W Willet, Elkhorn Slough, 2/5/14

(female) Sea Otter, Elkhorn Slough 2/5/14

Western Gull with Octopus, 2 5 14 Elkhorn Slough

Sea Otters on kelp bed Elkhorn Slough 2/5/14

Sea Otter, Elkhorn Slough 2/5/14

Surf Scoters, 2/5/14 Elkhorn Slough

M Godwit, 2/5/14 Elkhorn Lough

Long-billed Curlew with prey, 2/5/14 Elkhorn Slough

sitting LB Curlew, Elkhorn Slough 2/5/14

Marbled Godwit feeding, Elkhorn Slough 2/5/14

Colusa WR, 2/3/14 Geese, Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcon

Colusa held tens of thousands of Snow, Ross's, and GWF Geese as well as many thousands of Pintails, Shovelers, White-faced Ibis.  A few of the resident predators: Red-shouldered Hawk, Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcon.

Snow Geese, Colusa, 2/3/14

Snow Geese, Colusa, 2/3/14 (one dark phase)

Red-shouldered Hawk, Colusa, 2/3/14

Bald Eagle, Colusa, 2/3/14

Peregrine Falcon, Colusa, 2/3/14

dark Greater White-fronted Geese, Colusa 2/3/14

Snow Geese, Colusa, 2/3/14

transitional plumaged Snow Geese, Colusa 2/3/14

Ross's Goose, Colusa, 2/3/14

hen and drake Shovelers, Colusa 2/3/14

White-faced Ibis, Colusa, 2/3/14

Red-shouldered Hawk, Colusa 2/3/14

Greater White-fronted Goose, Colusa 2/3/14

White-faced Ibis Colusa 2/3/14

White-faced Ibis, Colusa, 2/3/14

Greater White-fronted Geese, 2/3/14 Colusa

Fasio-Yolo WR, GWFG, Ross's, WFIB, YBMA 2/2/14

A few photos from the Fasio-Yolo Wildlife Refuge near Davis CA, the beginning refuge in a long line of refugees in CA's Central Valley, which, while browned out by seer drought, still holds millions of ducks and geese, partially on the Sacramento River and its wetlands, and also on flooded rice fields, as in the vast Sacramento NW Refuge Complex.

White-faced Ibis, 2/2/14, Fasio WR

White-faced Ibis stretching, 2/2/14, Fasio WR

Pintail drake, 2/2/14 Fasio WR

Pintail hen and drake, 2/2/14 Fasio WR

Ross's and Gr White-fronted Geese, Fasio, 2/2/14

Yellow-billed Magpie, Davis, 2/2/14

Ross's, Snow, and Gr White-fronted Geese, size comparison, 2/2/14 Fasio