The Exciting World of Fuzzy Shorebirds!

This is an easy one. It's a Killdeer!

I could also title this post "Why I love Warblers!" Now you know the reason it has taken so long to do this entry...

As much as I love my Canon 300mm 2.8 lens (another cheap plug for Canon!), even with the 2X converter, these little beasties are still TOO FAR AWAY! But, being a glutton for punishment, I went out to Ottawa on a bright and sunny day, with the temperatures in the mid 90's to try and learn my shorebirds. So far, I'm not doing so good, mentally that is. Actually, I've had better times trying to identify Gulls in January. But I'll keep working and one day when I'm older and grayer...or balder...I may know at least one more than I do now.

Feel free to comment and help me out. I have more field guides than patience...

Okay, I know this one! Caspian Terns and those wacky Canadians.

Please note the crazed , heat stroke kinda look on the Tern facing you. I know how he feels...

Another easy one. A Snowy Egret along side Great Egrets...and of course, more crazed Canadians (Hi Susan!).

I'm thinking Greater Yellowlegs here. They're pretty common in this area.

I think there is definitely something wrong with this Lesser Yellowlegs checking out the derriere of this poor innocent Solitary Sandpiper.

That Lesser Yellowlegs in the background was screaming at this pair of Pipers for the longest time.

You can tell by the look I'm getting that the Solitary Sandpiper in front wants me to shut him up.

This Osprey was a great find.

With the increase of the Bald Eagle population, the Ospreys have been dwindling in numbers.

Yep, it's a #*@#! Sandpiper. Yep, it's right there in front of my camera. Yep. It's a Sandpiper all righty.
You can tell because it's got legs and a bill...and it's in mud (?).

And here's another one...of the hundreds I saw and tried to photograph.

Why do they call them "Sandpipers"? I have yet to see one in the sand.

Stoopid Dave.

Oh Yeah! I know these! There's a Semipalmated Plover and a Killdeer...and some sort of peep that I'm going to pretend I can't see.

I have never seen so many Snowy Egrets before, well over a dozen.

This poor fellow had something swim under foot and it scared him enough to make him jump and dance around.

His friends were laughing at him. I wonder why they don't list their laughs in the field guides...

Ick, among all the Deer Flies that were buzzing around my sparsely populated pate, were these Tiger Bee Flies. And of course they decided this would be a good time to make more.

Sorry, I'm not gonna wait around for your kids to appear!

Here's my favorite Trumpeter Swan couple, 3A8 and 78M with their three kids in tow.

I'm still puzzled that they are both listed as being females.

And there ya go. Sun, heat, humidity and mud. The key ingredients for getting fuzzy shots of peeps from far, far away! Maybe I'll post more, or maybe I'll just go lay down for awhile...