American Avocets: elegant bluestocking birds

Going back through my photo files, I found an old picture of an American Avocet  — an image that shows me two things:

• How striking this bird is in its bright spring colouration — rust, white and black, with long blue legs; and
• How much better my pictures are now, with a better camera. 

The more recent, slightly larger, and much sharper picture of an Avocet, below, shows the bird's fall colours, a calm palette of black, white, blue and gray. 

Spring, at Wascana Lake

Fall, at Last Mountain Lake 

What are these? American Avocets — Avocette d'Amérique — in bright spring and dull fall plumage. Location: Spring: Wascana Lake, Regina, Saskatchewan; Fall, Last Mountain Lake Wildlife Area,Saskatchewan. 

Photo dates: Spring: April 27, 2009; Fall: September 17, 2011. 

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