This
morning, with limited time for birding, Susan and I opted to return to a spot
we had seen only from afar; a small wetland spot right in the harbor at Santa
Barbara. We had seen some shorebirds there earlier in the week and thought it
might have something to offer.
As
we walked around this small estuary we feared our instincts might have led us
astray. Not much happening. As we neared the end of our loop walk, a juvenile
White-faced Ibis dropped from the sky about 100 feet from us. This bird is not
unheard of in this local, but it is not very common either. In eight years of
birding California together, this was our first encounter with a White-faced
Ibis.
The
bird seemed a bit nervous, but hungry, as it worked its way around the edges of
a pool crowded with American Coots and a few Blue-winged Teal. It found a spot
that had something to its liking and held still long enough for us to move into
position for some good viewing. As it ate and churned up the bottom around its
feet, the coots worked their way over to get in on the free eats.
Without
warning (at least none we could detect) the ibis swung its massive bill and
whacked one of the coots on the butt.
Moral
of the story: Birds of the feather don’t always forage together.
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