ALWAYS IN SEASON: Among shorebirds, avocets stand out

This is the season for shorebirds. Shorebird migration is under way on a broad front, and many species are abundant in the Red River Valley now.

The shorebirds are a tough bunch. Many look very much alike, and it takes a good scope, a good guide and a lot of patience to identify them confidently

That said, some shorebirds are distinctive and easy to identify. These are the "starter species" among the shorebirds.

One such is the American avocet.

Avocets are here in quite large numbers. Dave Lambeth counted 380 at Kellys Slough National Wildlife Refuge early in the week. When I checked the refuge Wednesday afternoon, there were several hundred avocets. Friday morning, Herald Outdoor Editor Brad Dokken and I made a quick field trip to Kellys Slough. We found upwards of 100 avocets.

Such large numbers are unusual. During breeding season, avocets are much more solitary, occurring in pairs or small groups.

These were migrants, proven by the declining numbers as the week went on.

The birds are southeastward bound.

Avocets are western birds. The Red River Valley is at the easternmost edge of their breeding range From here, the range extends to the Rocky Mountain front in Montana, then north into the Canadian prairie provinces.

These avocets winter on the Gulf Coast.

Other avocets nest on the southern Plains, the Great Basin and the interior of Washington and Oregon.

All of these are dry, grassland areas.

It may seem strange that shorebirds would be identified with grasslands, but avocets aren't unique in that regard. Several other shorebirds -- willets, godwits, curlews -- are also grassland nesters.

Avocets have long necks and long legs, and so they stand out in the landscape, especially because they frequent mud flats and shallow water.

They have long bills that curve subtly upward, more in females than in males, David Allen Sibley says in his "Guide to Birds."

The bill is black. The legs are pale blue.

These clues aren't enough to clinch an identification, but the avocet offers more. It is a distinctively colored bird, appearing black and white overall -- emphatically so. In flight, the avocet looks rather like a black-and-white projectile, with the long bill leading and the rather short, pointed tail trailing. The wings and back are two-toned in black and white.

So, in flight, this is a distinctive bird.

Likewise on the ground, where the black-and-white contrast is apparent.

The chest, neck and head are a pale orange color, not quite salmon, perhaps, but that's the description that comes to mind.

The salmon is quite obvious in breeding plumage. By this time of year, it has begun to fade, though some of the birds at Kellys Slough this week still had distinctive blushes on their heads and necks.

Non-breeding birds have pale, gray heads; still attractive, but not so obvious as the breeding plumage.

Our little foray to Kellys Slough produced a number of other species, including yellowlegs and Franklin's and ring-billed gulls. The gulls were practicing strict segregation, with Franklin's gulls in one pool and ring-billed gulls in another.

This eliminated the need to sort the flocks.

Franklin's gulls have black heads, although the amount of black varies quite a bit in non-breeding birds like these. Ring-billed gulls are white-headed, and yes, their bills are ringed -- a distinguishing feature, even if it is hard to see.

A considerable flock of pelicans was at Kellys Slough, and we saw several species of ducks.

So, the two of us ran up a nice list for a short outing.

Kellys Slough is close to Grand Forks -- a 15-minute drive. Go west on U.S. Highway 2. Four miles past the airport entrance, you'll see a sign announcing the refuge, which is four miles north on a gravel road. There's an observation deck on the west side of the road, north of the open water.

The spot for shorebirds is on the east side of the road. Ducks and pelicans are more likely on the west side

Continue on the gravel till it meets a paved road. Turn west there and you'll cross another wetland.

Turn around and the pavement will take you back to U.S. Highway 81 at the far north end of Grand Forks.

Jacobs is publisher of the Herald. Reach him at (701) 780-1103; (800) 477-6572, ext. 1103; or send e-mail to mjacobs@gfherald.com .