Leslie not only saw more Meadowlarks than I did at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, she also saw far more Black-Necked Stilts than I did, particularly early on when the sun was low and alpenglow caused their white bellies to glow.
Though their territorial squabbles often suggest otherwise, these petite little waders always strike me as being quite delicate.
Unless you get up earlier than we are willing to do when on vacation, the alpenglow doesn’t last very long, and a Black-Necked Stilt looks more like this, at least he does in a shady area.
I finally got my first shot of a Black-Necked Stilt at the rest stop where the bathroom is located — at least halfway through the auto tour, and it seemed like the ones there had already had breakfast because they were mostly sleeping, though one, at least, seemed to be preening.
I’m always a little amazed to see a group of Stilts all sleeping on one long, skinny leg. Heck, I can’t even imagine being able to sleep standing up on two legs, much less one.
Although we often see Black-Necked Stilt at Bear River in Utah and occasionally in Colorado, I’ve never seen one in Northwest Washington, so it was still special to see them in the Sacramento NWR.