This last winter, Saul Kere was dredged with earthmovers, creating mud flats and shallows that Black-winged Stilts quickly claimed for their own.
Stilts are typical waders, with long legs that hold their delicate, elegant bodies high above the water surface, which they probe for worms and other prey with their long, slim beaks. They arrived in numbers, partied hard, and made more little stilts.
At first, the young ones huddled close to the vigilant parents, and all you could see of them were their reed-like legs. Soon, they became bolder, venturing further and further away on their own. The parents scolded warning when they wandered too far but, like typical little brats, they paid no heed.
The torrential rains of July filled the lake bed, leaving very few exposed shallows, but the stilts still lay claim to the bunds, and they haven’t stopped breeding. When other birds venture close, the shrieking parents chase them away. Birds of prey get the roughest sendoff. I thought lapwing parents were the shriekiest, but these guys are the limit!
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