Avocets

Little birds wading in the Corte Madera wetland adjacent to Nordstrom’s parking lot.

Not having a zoom lens that can really reach distant subjects (I’m still using the Olympus C-8080 as my carry-around camera) I had to turn my back to the water and practice the old "walking backwards" trick.

Then I looked up at the sky and hummed a little tune, hoping to convey by my demeanor that, oh no, I’m not at all interested in you little birds.

Then I turned around and took a few photos. The two birds on the right were starting to get suspicious, starting to do their own little shuffle.

But the real news is that I was able to identify the birds on my own! (Of course, I had to have Barbara confirm it for me.)

After the fact, of course—from the photo. Hali gave me a National Geographic bird book for Christmas; I plunked down with it in front of the computer and there they were.

Avocets.

Photo: Avocets—Marin County, 2008