Who doesn't love a slender black and white bird with hot pink legs? I absolutely adore Black-necked Stilts. The only thing I like more are baby Black-necked Stilts. We have so many young stilts at Green Cay right now in all stages of development. Some are have long legs and others still have very fuzzy down bodies. And the way they camoflauge is amazing. Look at the young below that look just like the muddy ground.
Wherever you see the young you are guaranteed to see the parents nearby. I've found that Black-necked Stilts are very attentive parents. They are never more than a few feet away and they do an excellent job of protecting their young. It's rare to see a baby stilt taken and often I see the parents chasing off predator or even harmless birds like moorhens.
The Black-necked Stilt show will only be going on for another month or so at the wetlands. Once the young fledge they all seem to disappear. By August you will find the stilts closer to Lake Okeechobee with all the other shorebirds. Until then, I plan on enjoying every second of them nesting and raising their young at Green Cay.
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