Coots and other water birds don't pay much attention to people at frequently-visited preserves. But they swam away every time I moved around the shoreline of a large reservoir to get closer. I used a 400mm lens with a teleconverter to optically pull them in, but what do you do if you left the long lens at home or you only have 8-power binoculars with you? (For more about choosing lenses and teleconverters for shy wildlife see my last newsletter at www.mountain-and-desert.com/Newsletters/Archive/March05.)

Where the birds are
Like you and me, animals need water to survive. Find the only water source for miles around and you'll find them. I discovered the coots at a reservoir that's the largest body of fresh water in that part of the county - many animals visit it sooner or later as they hunt for food nearby. It's wide and fairly shallow though, and birds don't need to be close to shore to drink or dive for fish or mollusks. I'd have gotten much closer to those coots if they'd been swimming on a small pond or narrow creek. Choosing a focused spot that attracts animals nearly always gives you a closer view - if you're quiet and willing to wait.

I watch for ripples and jumping fish close to the shore of shallow lakes because I'm certain to see herons and egrets following the fish. Limestone tufa towers by California's Mono Lake make violet-green swallows feel secure enough to nest. The lake attracts brine shrimp, alkali flies and other insects so there's plenty to eat, and freshwater creeks supply drinking water. Towers rising from Mono Lake's saltwater provide secure pedestals for nesting osprey that fish in nearby freshwater lakes.

Marshes also bring birds closer to shore as they hunt. After the snow geese erupted into the sky one winter morning at New Mexico's Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge I took a quiet break along the over-the-water marsh trail. The trail's platform gave me a view of a pied-billed grebe eating a fish as big as his head and a coot preening in the shade. A couple cars at the trailhead held sleepers who got out and stretched just as I was leaving, too late to see the best bird action.

Well-dressed birders don't wear red or white, and they crouch in the mud
Red can upset bulls and elk, while white clothing spooks wildlife in the warm months. They're two colors you shouldn't wear when you want to see animals. Some photographers and birders avoid the problem completely by using portable blinds for close views of birds that won't tolerate the sneakiest approach.

There are other ways to get close if you can't wait 3 days while birds get used to your blind. Every spring and early summer finds birds sitting on a nest and later feeding youngsters. Altricial young depend entirely on their parents to bring them food. Hummingbirds, starlings and egrets fall into this category, so you can find them near a nest and make a closer approach, but at least 30 feet away if a bird's present. If an adult bird leaves the nest because it saw you, you got too close. You need to leave the area for at least twenty minutes and stay farther away next time, or not come back at all. Some parents may abandon a nest if predators appear, and to a bird you're a predator.

Downy young black-necked stilts can forage for themselves within a day or so of hatching. Young American avocets are also precocial but neither can fly until their feathers grow in four to six weeks later. This makes for a lot of parental hand-wringing as the young birds walk around foraging on their own, and probably explains why I've seen adult stilts and avocets terrorizing Mallards that swam too close.

If you crouch in front of tall bushes precocial youngsters may ignore you and walk right past as they concentrate on filling their stomachs. Dark clothes are a must if you want this to work. You don't need full camouflage but avoid white, red or anything bright. Move slowly and approach at an angle, then wait for animals to come to you.

The best way to find an animal is to get advice from a native guide. A tip about some young black-necked stilts in Palo Alto, California's Baylands Preserve had me hunkered down on the saltwater-loving pickleweed one June day. My dark-clad silhouette disappeared against the tall reeds behind me. Several downy stilt chicks paced determinedly around the shallows and came within twenty feet of me. Don't try this at high tide though - I came back to the same spot to check on the stilts a couple weeks later and sank into muck up to my thighs!

It's about time
You may not be a morning person. Many animals are and begin their days with a sunrise hunt. They've never heard of the nine-to-five workday, vending machines or restaurants. If they're hungry when they wake up they look for food. You need to get on their schedule to watch the action.

Wintering snow geese at Bosque del Apache make their thundering liftoff every dawn, and I do mean thunder - four or five hundred birds flapping and honking at once make a lot of noise. Sunrise happens late in December but I still had to be up at five in nearby Socorro, New Mexico to make it to Bosque's Flight Deck before dawn. The geese fly up once, land and sometimes take off again as a flock. Afterwards you'll find plenty of other residents wintering near the marshes and streams of this relatively warm area.

Bosque attracts wildlife because it's one of the largest water sources for many miles. Sure, the Rio Grande runs nearby but doesn't provide the cover and food Bosque has along with its water. You might see a great blue heron looking like a witch doctor or a roadrunner if you keep your eyes open. You're almost certain to see bald eagles that sometimes decorate a bare tree like Christmas ornaments, golden eagles next to the cornfields and red-tailed hawks watching before their morning hunt.

Most of the wildlife action seems to happen in the mornings but there's hope for you night-owls. Bosque evenings see Sandhill cranes delicately landing for a drink in the marshes northwest of old Highway 1 after a day spent foraging in the nearby cornfields of Bosque's farm loop.

And some wildlife sleep the day away. Striped skunks are cute and nocturnal and can be pretty tolerant when they come out in the evenings - but don't get too close! Black-crowned night herons and many owls appear at dusk to begin their search for prey. You can see night herons and great horned owls during spring days when they're feeding their altricial nestlings, but owls still take a bit of quiet searching to spot.

If you don't know a local expert, search the web for the best spots to see that white-tailed kite or merlin in your area. Armed with information on sightings, if you wear dark clothes, move slowly and indirectly and crouch patiently near water, you'll see more animals misbehaving at close range.

Nobody guessed March's mystery animal, so here are more hints: He preys on small birds and dragonflies, all taken as he flies and sometimes from underneath. He winters in the western and central U.S. and east coast but breeds in Canada. He's the second smallest falcon in North America. The first correct answer before April 15 can still win you a free 8X10 print of this graceful beauty.

And there's a new critter to name this month!

I look pretty drab and gray in winter. I scan the water as I swim smoothly, then suddenly disappear when I dive. If I'm lucky I'll come up with small shellfish or snack on an insect or two. By March I'm brightly colored so I'll attract a mate when I've flown north to breed. Who am I?

First correct guesser gets an 8X10 print of the full image. But you only have until May 1 to email your name and guess to contest@mountain-and-desert.com.
    Good luck!!

And choose another unmounted 8X10 print FREE with your order! Just type "free 8X10" and the image number in the 'Comments' part of the order form. (Scroll down after you click.)

Icons of the American West exhibit at REI Coop, Saratoga, California
Bison fighting on the plains. Anasazi ruins. Desert marshes and high mountains above colorful autumn leaves. See all of this and more in stunning 12X18 photographs at REI Coop, 400 El Paseo de Saratoga, Saratoga, California. The show runs April 10 through May 31. Click for an online preview.

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