The Brig has an 8-mile auto tour route. But this time we walked it. Twice! We have walked a portion of it before, two winters ago, when snow closed the roads and we REALLY wanted to see a Snowy Owl. This time we hiked the auto route on Saturday, then came back Sunday and did it over with a few trail segments to up the mileage.
First up was a pair of white egrets: a Great Egret and a Snowy Egret. These guys actually look fairly similar, but the size differential is huge:
Another treat right at the start of Saturday's walk was a flock of 40+ Glossy Ibis. In the right light, they are a surprisingly warm shade of cinnamon, for a bird that usually looks iridescent black.
Some other highlights from both days included a White Pelican. This guy was faaaaar out in one of the pools, but was unmistakable. They're huge!
We also saw 6 American Avocets, but they were even farther out and required a scope to even see them. Even so, we were surprised to find both unusual species with so little heartache :)
Ospreys were everywhere. Many couples were taking advantage of the nesting posts located near the drive. This one has a fish, or at least, part of one.
Near the end of the loop, or the salt marsh part of it, anyway, we found an American Oystercatcher. This is a comically striking bird, and I can't remember seeing one up and out of the water like this before.
Lastly, we found this directional sign that had a sticker attached. It said, "I'd rather be birding." It cracked me up because, geez, what else would you be doing mid-way through a big wildlife refuge like this!
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