Birding with John at Baskett Slough

I took John West on a birding tour of Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge this morning.  We started at the Bald Butte parking lot at 6:15 AM and walked down to the South Slough Pond where we had perfect morning light coming over our shoulders from the east to photograph. We saw a good number of birds, and I took fifty-four photos. It’s probable that John took ten times that, which may in part explain why he gets so many outstanding photos, overlooking, experience, equipment, and of course talent. We also made stops at Cottonwood Pond, and Morgan Lake, making a circle of the refuge. Although we had many interesting sightings and photographs, one of the favorites of mine was this mother Pied-billed Grebe and her three chicks as shown below. (click on images to enlarge)