Increased sightings of Black-necked Stilts this summer

I’m not sure if I’m just seeing more — or if there really are more — Black-necked Stilts this summer. I’ve seen so many.

I’ve seen them at Orlando Wetlands, and I’ve seen them at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. But I’ve seen the most at Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive this season.

I have also seen so many little Stilts who have hatched and grown into juveniles and near-adults. It’s been fun watching and photograhing them.

AllAboutBirds.org says this about Black-necked Stilts: “Black-necked Stilts are among the most stately of the shorebirds, with long rose-pink legs, a long thin black bill, and elegant black-and-white plumage that make them unmistakable at a glance. They move deliberately when foraging, walking slowly through wetlands in search of tiny aquatic prey. When disturbed, stilts are vociferous, to put it mildly, and their high, yapping calls carry for some distance. “