black necked stilt

i spent along time trying to get close enough to one of these stilts i was going for a portrait shot but never did get one. these photos were taken from the soggy banks of eco pond which i experienced first hand (i sat in the mud in a bush suit for an hour) but in the end i got some good photos of these guys and saw lots of spoonbills a reddish egret and an american avocet. despite the serious bugs i saw A LOT of birds.