Friday's Foto

American Avocets breed from interior Washington, Saskatchewan, and Minnesota south to California and Texas. During this long-legged shorebird's Southbound migration some usually stray far to the East and end up in our area. For the past week one has been hanging around the East Pond of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Avocets feed by swinging their long upturned bill side to side in the water to stir up aquatic insects. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources lists their conservation status as "Least Concern".