American Avocet
This image was taken back in late April about a mile from the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. Eastern Missouri is a good ways out of their normal range.
I've only run across lone individuals in non breeding plumage previously so I was stoked to find a group of four in breeding colors. I found them mid afternoon and took
quite a few images. I wasn't particularly happy with the harsh light but I wasn't sure how long they would hang around. I left for several hours and returned closer to sunset,
although I had to leave a little earlier than I would have liked due to a previous commitment. It was quite windy so the water was pretty choppy. I presume this is some type
of mating behavior. I ran the raw file through DxO PureRAW and then very light Topaz DeNoise.
Nikon Z9, 500mmF4VRII, TC-14EIII.....currently patiently waiting for a 800mmF6.3
f6.3, 1/2000s iso800
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