This is literally a spur of the moment Dawn Chorus which I'm throwing up because our normally scheduled host hasn't appeared at the appointed hour. The last time that happened, we later discovered it was because she lost her computer connection and couldn't post anything. So, perhaps she's just late and Dawn Chorus will appear momentarily (in which case this diary can be deleted) but I'm posting this as an alternative while we wait.
Few words, mostly pics, over the fold.
Indulging my weakness for egrets, here's a Great Egret taking flight:
And here are a couple of shots of a Great Blue Heron that I got wonderfully close to:
In case you've wondered whether birds are really descended from dinosaurs, take a look at this pelican and you decide:
How about some Black Oystercatchers? These guys live in a narrow band along the West Coast and their population has dwindled to just 11,000. They try to blend in to the rocks, except for the fact that their screamingly orange bills prevent it:
How about some cute now? Here are a couple of Mallard chicks:
And here are a couple of Black-necked Stilt chicks:
And here's the stilt's momma, chattering away because she didn't like someone with a camera near her babies:
This Great Egret just grabbed a fish -- see the tail hanging out of its mouth? You can see the outline of the rest of the fish in its gullet.
Speaking of food, here's a Great Blue Heron that says, "I believe I'll have the crab."
So that's enough to get things started here until lineatus shows up with the real Dawn Chorus (if she's just late). Go ahead and jump in with some of your own pics and usual fabulous talk, why don't you?