American Avocet - life bird, finally!

Tweet There has been an American Avocet hanging out at a big mud puddle at Lost Bridge for a while.  I usually don't like to travel far for life birds, however the avocet is an awesome looking bird that I want to see.  I kept hoping that I would one day see one land on the beach at East Fork, but with all of the ever increasing human use, it was/is becoming more and more unlikely.  I got to thinking, since I now work in Hebron, KY, Lost Bridge is only a couple exits from work.  So I decided to make the trip out.

When my girlfriend and I first pulled up, I saw a couple looking out over the water.  I pulled off the road and got out of the car and found the bird quickly.  It was very far away.  Since I had my scope stolen, I really couldn't get a good look at it.  I thought dang.  I need to just keep waiting.  I am glad I did.  Here it comes!

The bird landed right by the road.  I got in the car and pulled up right next to the bird, using the car as a blind.

What an awesome bird!  Gorgeous! 

Love everything about this bird, the pattern on the back is cool.

I think this is my favorite shorebird.  The bird started calling and flew over the car out of sight to a gravel pit on the other side of the road.  

A couple of birders pull up right at the same time.  They said they were looking for a bird.  I asked them what bird and they said avocet.  I told them that it just flew to the other side of the road.  I thought, dang, was I lucky!  We searched and searched for the bird, but could not relocate it.  As I was getting back in my car, I noticed a large shorebird hunched down in the vegetation back at the big mud puddle.  It was the avocet.  I showed the couple the bird, for which it was very near on the close shore.  They were very thankful that I spotted it, cause it was concealed in vegetation.  I am glad that I got to show them this awesome bird.    

I got to thinking...  I have gotten my lifer Wilson's Phalarope at this same spot years ago.  There were flocks of shorebirds flying in and out the whole time I was there.  This place is only a shallow scrape in the mud that is used as a topsoil operation.  It would not be hard to recreate this same type of habitat in a river valley.  If only I had the money...

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