The American Avocet Recurvirostra americanis has been called by some the most elegant bird in North America. Its graceful curves and movements are a delight to behold. A movie of them is also available in the Movies page. They are commonly found in mudflats. These photographs were taken at the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine CA. It contains three mudflats and many ponds and riparian forests. In fact it is located on Riparian View. Black-necked Stilts (see that page) and other shore birds are common in this sanctuary. This is also the home of the Sea and Sage Audubon Society with a bookstore and small museum.
When visiting the Sanctuary in mid January, for a moment I thought there was a new bird there until I realized they were American Avocets in their winter, non-breeding plumage with their brown head and neck replaced with white.
The the 300 series were taken at the Monterey, CA Aquarium, last 5 photos were taken at Lafitte's Cove, TX. All the othere were taken at San Jacinto Reserve, Irvine, CA.