A pair of American Avocets stand in shallow blue water with their bills crossed in the early morning sunlight

One of a pair of American avocets stands in the foreground in the shallow water as the dawn morning sunlight shines on them

Just after sunrise an American avocet tucks its long bill into the feathers on its back to rest as the day begins

A pair of American avocets stand in the shallow water as the early morning sun lights them up on a clear spring morning

An American avocet walks through the thick soft mud flat just as the early morning sun rises